Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s high-profile two-day visit to India, beginning Thursday evening, India is reported to have finalized a major defense agreement with Russia, under which it will lease a nuclear-powered attack submarine for about USD 2 billion, the media reported.
The deal, likely to be signed during his visit, comes after nearly 10 years of negotiations. Russia will lease this nuclear submarine to India for 10 years, similar to the previous Russian vessel that India returned in 2021. Its maintenance will also be part of the agreement.
N-Submarine
According to reports, bilateral talks between New Delhi and Moscow had slowed over pricing issues. Indian officials visited a Russian shipyard in November, helping both sides reach a final understanding. India expects the submarine to arrive within two years, although the timeline could stretch because of complexity of the project.
Ahead of the Putin visit, India’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi hinted that commissioning of the attack submarine would take place soon. The new vessel will be larger than the two nuclear-powered submarines currently in India’s fleet, the media reports said.
Putin’s visit comes while India is negotiating a trade deal with the US to reduce steep 50 percent tariff rates imposed by President Donald Trump. The duties were part of Washington’s effort to push India to curb purchases of Russian oil to increase pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine war.
The upcoming lease deal specifies that the Russian submarine cannot be used in war. Its primary role will be to train Indian crews and support India’s efforts to master nuclear-submarine operations as it builds similar platforms domestically.
As the Indian Ocean region gains geostrategic importance, interest in nuclear-powered submarines has grown globally. Australia is working with the US and the UK to build such vessels through the AUKUS partnership.
Only a few nations, including the US, the UK, France, China and Russia, possess this technology.
India has developed nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), giving it a nuclear triad—the ability to deploy nuclear weapons from land, air and sea—according to a Nuclear Threat Initiative report.
Nuclear-powered submarines offer major advantages over diesel-electric ones. They stay submerged longer, travel farther, remain quieter and are harder to track. India currently operates 17 diesel submarines and has also been building its own nuclear-powered vessels for strategic deterrence.
The Putin Schedule
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to land in New Delhi around 6:35 pm on Thursday for a two-day visit. He will attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit on Friday. This is his first official visit to India since the Ukraine war broke out in February 2022.
During his stay in the Indian capital, he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on global and regional issues of mutual interest.
Ahead of his visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released his itinerary.
PM Modi will host a private dinner for Putin after he lands in Delhi, in reciprocity of a similar gesture extended by the Russian President to the Indian PM during his visit to Moscow in 2024.
On Friday, a ceremonial reception will be held for Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 11 am. At 11:30 am, Putin will visit Rajghat and lay a wreath there.
At 11:50 am, he will meet PM Modi at the Hyderabad House, where the two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting.
At around 1:50 pm, press statements from the two leaders are expected at the Hyderabad House.
President Putin will also be part of a business event, scheduled to take place at 3:40 pm. The venue of the business event is yet to be announced.
After the 23rd India-Russia Summit, the two sides are expected to sign several agreements, including areas of trade.
At 7 pm, Putin will meet President Draupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and is expected to leave from New Delhi for Moscow at around 9 pm.
Security
Ahead of his visit, Delhi has been placed on high alert, and a multi-layered security grid has been enforced. Senior police officers said that right from Putin’s arrival until his departure, every movement will be tracked by multiple security units operating jointly.
“Minute-to-minute coordination is underway, and all agencies concerned have been instructed to maintain maximum vigilance throughout. Over 5,000 police personnel will be deployed to maintain strict vigil,” an official said.
According to the report, the Delhi Police, central security agencies and Putin’s personal protection team from Russia have put in place a multi-tier security cordon, deploying SWAT and anti-terror units, snipers and quick-reaction teams at key sensitive locations.
Senior police officials are overseeing route security, traffic management and area checks around venues expected to be part of the Russian President’s itinerary.
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