Russian President Vladimir Putin's India Visit Crucial, Deals on Anvil

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi on Thursday. Diplomatic circles area already buzzing with excitement as to what would transpire between Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the summit talks.

With US President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on India for buying oil from Russia, a lot is at stake.

Now, it boils down to New Delhi and Moscow as how to make deals that will encourage bilateral relations between the two countries.

Several deals are on the anvil - deepening of defence cooperation and the insulation of trade from US sanctions.

Kremlin spokesperson, Dimitri Peskov informed that “Russia intends to use the summit to protect trade ties with India from the sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump's administration. Apart from that, a key defence deal between New Delhi and Moscow has also been okayed by the Russian Parliament.”

Steps to bolster India-Russia trade from sanctions imposed by the US, an offer on small modular reactors for nuclear energy and deepening of defence cooperation will be on the agenda.

The meeting will be an opportunity for India to underscore its strategic autonomy by improving defence and economic ties with Russia in the wake of US sanctions.

India and Russia have finalised an agreement for skilled and semi-skilled manpower, and negotiations began last week on a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the Eurasian Economic Union.

Russia's State Duma, ratified the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistic Support (RELOS) signed on February 18, between India and Russia.

"Our relations with India are strategic and comprehensive, and we value them. We understand that today's ratification of the agreement is another step toward reciprocity and, of course, the development of our relations," Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the State Duma, said at the plenary session of the house.

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