India's Modi to satisfy Putin in Moscow as either side search to forge deeper ties

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready to satisfy President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, marking his first go to to the Kremlin for the reason that invasion of Ukraine.

Their assembly is critical as it is the Indian premier’s first bilateral journey abroad since he was reelected for a rare third term in June.

The 2 leaders are set to strengthen the event of “historically pleasant relations between Russia and India,” in addition to focus on “topical points on the worldwide and regional agendas,” the Kremlin said final week.

The assembly will present a chance for the 2 sides to overview a variety of bilateral points — from protection and commerce, to funding ties and vitality cooperation, India’s International Secretary Vinay Kwatra mentioned in a media briefing on Friday.

Since March, India has sought the release of nationals, said to have been “duped” into serving in the Russian army, following the uncovering of what the South Asian nation has labeled as a “main human trafficking community.”

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered a slew of sanctions from the Group of seven nations, in addition to different international locations, as world leaders sought to chop off or restrict Moscow’s capacity to fund the conflict. The Kremlin has insisted on calling the invasion a “particular army operation.” 

India has kept away from outright criticism of Putin however has kept a neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, whereas urging either side to finish the conflict. New Delhi, however, condemned the killing of civilians early in the Ukraine conflict but did not assign blame to Russia. 

Modi’s go to to the Kremlin comes on the heels of his meeting with G7 leaders in Italy final month, the place the bloc of industrialized nations — made up of the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK — agreed to fund Ukraine’s war against Russia with earnings from frozen Kremlin belongings.

India and Russia have shared a long-standing security cooperation partnership for the reason that Chilly Struggle interval, with New Delhi’s armed forces closely reliant on Moscow for army tools.

Modi’s final go to to Russia was in 2019 when he visited the far japanese port of Vladivostok for an financial discussion board. The 2 final met in particular person in 2022 on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Uzbekistan, the place Modi had instructed the Russian president that it was not an period of conflict however stopped in need of condemning his actions in Ukraine.

Russia, just like the U.S., has its personal place in India’s international coverage, said former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal in a recent post on social media platform, X.

“Neither India nor the worldwide south take into account Putin a global pariah,” the previous ambassador to Russia added. 

India’s bilateral commerce with Russia jumped 33% within the monetary 12 months ended March 2024, hitting an all-time high of $65.7 billion. Nonetheless, commerce stays imbalanced, Kwatra identified.

India’s exports to Russia had been $4.26 billion, whereas imports from the Kremlin amounted close to $61.44 billion, official information confirmed.

Following his two-day go to to Russia, Modi will head to Vienna, Austria on Tuesday in what can be the primary go to by an Indian prime minister in 41 years.