Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in India on Thursday for a two-day visit aimed at deepening defense ties, as New Delhi faces heavy United States pressure to stop buying oil from Moscow.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at the airport to welcome the Russian leader in person, greeting him on the red carpet with a hug, before riding together in the same car.
Putin, on his first visit to India since the Ukraine war, is accompanied by his Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, with possible deals on fighter jets and air defense systems expected to be discussed.
In an interview with India Today, Putin said he was “very happy” to be meeting “my friend” Modi.
“The range of our cooperation with India is huge,” he said in remarks translated by the broadcaster, citing ship and aircraft manufacturing, nuclear energy and space exploration.
Modi hosted Putin for a private dinner on Thursday evening, followed by a summit meeting on Friday.
Beyond defense, trade relations are expected to feature prominently as India walks a diplomatic tightrope - relying on strategic Russian oil imports while trying not to provoke US President Donald Trump during ongoing tariff negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks to expand the supply of Russia’s advanced S-400 air defense systems had an “important place on the agenda.”
Indian media reports suggested Moscow may also offer co-production of Russia’s Su-57 fighter jets.
India is one of the world’s top arms importers, and Russia has long been a principal supplier.
But New Delhi has also sought alternative suppliers, as well as boosting domestic production - with the Russian share of India’s arms imports falling from 76% in 2009 to 2013 to 36% in 2019 to 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
