Putin and Modi underscored that, as major powers with shared responsibilities, this important relationship continues to be an anchor of global peace and stability that should be ensured upon the basis of equality, harmony and brotherhood. This visit could indeed set the stage for a new beginning of global trust, peace, aid & hope – Kalpana Bora
President of the Russian Federation H.E. Mr Vladimir Putin was in Bharat on a state visit during December 4-5, 2025, for the 23rd Bharat-Russia Annual Summit, as part of a sustained process to continue the strategic partnership between the two countries. It was the first visit of President Putin to Bharat since the Russia-Ukraine war started in 2022. PM Modi himself received Putin at the airport and then travelled with him to the PM’s residence for a private dinner – sending the message that President Putin remains a friend of Bharat despite western attempts to isolate him. That shows how much PM Modi values Bharat’s time-tested partnership with Russia and his bonhomie with Putin. PM Modi called the Bharat-Russia relationship steady like Dhruv Tara (the pole star). President Droupadi Murmu hosted him for a banquet as well. This visit of President Putin carries a deep significance, from the point of view of mutual interests of the two nations as well as geopolitical dynamics, setting the vision for strengthening the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’. The two leaders underlined that Bharat-Russia ties have remained resilient in the backdrop of a complex, challenging and uncertain geopolitical situation.
Moreover, the timing of this visit has been very crucial. First - President Putin has been isolated by the Western world due to the Russia-Ukraine war, and both Bharat and Russia have been facing the heat of punitive trade tariffs imposed by the USA, as Bharat continues to buy oil from Russia. Thus Bharat is keen to look for alternative ways of engaging with Russia economically. They both see each other as big markets to boost their economies. Their current trade of $68.72bn, up from $8.1bn in 2020, has hugely relied on India’s purchase of discounted Russian oil. It should be noted that while China is also a major buyer of oil from Russia, the USA has been harsher on Bharat as far as imposing mountainous trade tariffs is concerned. Moreover, the USA itself imports fertilisers, palladium, and uranium from Russia. Strategically enhancing bilateral trade between Bharat and Russia is thus one of the major aims of this Modi-Putin summit. The Program of Bharat-Russia Cooperation in Trade, Economic and Investment Spheres for the period from 2024 to 2029 provides the necessary framework for further cooperation between Bharat and the Russian Far East region, especially in the sectors of agriculture, energy, mining, manpower, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, maritime transport, etc.
Secondly, things have not been fine in Ukraine either, due to the war. Wars destroy humanity and civilisations and have never served any good, except when they are meant to annihilate Adharma and bring peace. Initiatives taken by the western world to end the war have not been able to bear sweet fruits so far. Being the leading nation of the region, Bharat realises its responsibility to take effective initiatives towards engaging with both Russia and Ukraine in ending the Russia-Ukraine crisis. In July 2024, when they met in Moscow, Modi told Putin that “solutions can’t be found on the battlefield”. As PM Modi speaks of peace efforts globally, Bharat would be keen to find a solution which would be mutually acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine. Modi’s latest remarks to Putin echo language he used during his visit to Ukraine in August 2024, telling Zelenskyy, “…we are not neutral; we are in favour of peace. We come from the land of Buddha and Gandhi with a message of peace.” PM Modi reiterated that offer after meeting Putin on December 5, 2025, saying, “Bharat has always advocated for peace regarding Ukraine. We welcome all efforts being made for a peaceful and lasting resolution of this issue. Bharat has always been ready to contribute and will continue to do so.” Thus, efforts to bring peace in the region are another highlight of the Modi-Putin Summit. Bharat seems to start preparing the next steps in a careful diplomatic balancing act – moves are afoot to schedule a possible visit by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to India in the coming months. The visit could take place as early as January 2026.
Thirdly, the perspective that comes out during this visit of President Putin is to counter some resource-controlling policies of the Western world – colonisation and economic monopoly. Many countries in the world have been suffering due to these wrong ideologies of the West. Let’s not forget that Bharat believes in ‘coexistence’ and not competition, and Russia believes in ‘mutual aid’, while the Western part of the world believes in competition and ‘survival of the fittest’. Both Bharat and Russia align in their philosophical thought process that forms the soul of their ancient civilisations. Leaders of both nations aspire to bring peace, economic equality and harmony to the world by removing disparities and believe in the right of a country to take pride in its indigenous culture and tradition. Strengthening BRICS currency may be a step towards de-dollarisation. Travelling in a homemade Toyota Fortuner from the airport instead of a Mercedes and welcome signboards in Delhi written in Hindi and Russian (NOT in English) during Putin’s visit have a clear message to that end.
The two leaders spoke about a five-year economic framework that will enable the two countries to reach their target of $100 bn by 2030 in bilateral trade. Bharat and Russia have agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral settlements through use of the national currencies in order to ensure the uninterrupted maintenance of bilateral trade. Officials have highlighted the labour mobility agreement, an MoU to jointly set up a urea plant in Russia, and the adoption of the economic road map launched during Mr Modi’s 2024 Moscow visit. The roadmap includes encouraging more trade, developing connectivity using maritime corridors, and mechanisms to enable a national currency payment system to circumvent sanctions. Deals and memorandums have been signed in shipbuilding, training of Indian seafarers to operate in polar waters, investments in new shipping lanes, civil nuclear energy, visa-free travel and critical minerals. Agreements involving critical minerals and supply chains and pharmaceuticals were also made. A Russian-Indian pharmaceutical factory will be built in Russia’s Kaluga region. PM Modi also mentioned the progress made in concluding India’s potential free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. When concluded, the deal will enable Russia, India and other members to explore each other’s markets. Page 2 of 4 Issues like cooperation in space, military and military Technical cooperation, cooperation in science & technology, cultural cooperation, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, cooperation in the UN and multilateral fora, measures to counter terrorism, reform of international economic governance institutions and multilateral development banks were also discussed. Both sides called for comprehensive reforms of the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary global realities and to make it more representative, effective and efficient in dealing with issues of international peace and security. The two leaders expressed their commitment to promote cooperation in the expanded BRICS under the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people cooperation.
However, the two sides did not announce any agreements in some strategic areas like defence hardware and space cooperation, etc. The Bharatiya government is cautiously aware of Western concerns, taking care not to upset at the moment hastily the current negotiations with the U.S. and the European Union on trade agreements and high-level visits. While balancing ties with two sets of partners inimical to each other, Bharat is mindful that asserting strategic autonomy will require taking consistent steps with both, rather than pendulum movements from one to another. Balancing, not swinging on Bharat-Russia ties, is Bharatiya diplomacy of the day.
The ambitious goal of expanding bilateral trade to US$ 100 billion by 2030 will need vigilant planning. A significant imbalance is there – India exported just US$ 4.88 billion worth of goods to Russia while importing nearly US$ 63.8 billion, primarily crude oil, fertilisers and coal. India needs to widen its exports and build new production ecosystems for long-term sustainability. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Northeast Bharat, being strategically located, resource-rich and demographically young, may tap its potential to help increase exports of Bharat to Russia. Assam’s onshore oil production and abundant coal, limestone and clay reserves; Meghalaya’s limestone reserves; Arunachal Pradesh’s deposits of vanadium (a metal crucial for high-strength alloys and next-generation batteries); Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram’s reserves of chromite, nickel, graphite and rare earth elements; and Tripura’s rich resources of shale, glass sand and clay can be a boon in the futuristic progress and development of the Northeast. These minerals are needed in industries ranging from electric vehicles and steelmaking to electronics and renewable energy. In all these sectors, Russia aspires to expand its production capacity and is seeking secured supply chains. With Russian investment, technology and long-term purchase agreements, Northeast Bharat can become a base for processing, refining and manufacturing.
With the above highlights, it becomes optically transparent to visualise takeaways from the visit of President Putin to Bharat – strategically enhancing bilateral trade, bringing peace and harmony (‘Vishwa ka kalyan ho’) in the world through mutual aid among nations worldwide (‘Vasudhaivam Kutumbakam’), and sending a message to the whole world to come out of the colonisation mindset and take pride in the ‘Swa’ (self). The two leaders underscored that, as major powers with shared responsibilities, this important relationship continues to be an anchor of global peace and stability that should be ensured upon the basis of equality, harmony and brotherhood. This visit could indeed set the stage for a new beginning of global trust, peace, aid & hope.