President of Russia Vladimir Putin Reached India on Thursday evening, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself welcomed him, breaking the protocol, at Palam Air Force Station (Vladimir Putin India Visit). There was a warm meeting between the two leaders, there was a hug and greeting and after this both of them sat together in the same car and reached 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.
There were informal meetings, dinners and one-to-one conversations at night. This visit is taking place at a time when the world is going through a new phase of political tension and global balance of power, hence this meeting is considered very important for the future of India-Russia relations.
On Friday 5 December, Putin will be formally welcomed at Rashtrapati Bhavan and he will be given a guard of honor of the three services. After this, he will reach Rajghat and pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi (Vladimir Putin India Visit). There will be a detailed delegation-level dialogue between the two countries at Hyderabad House, in which major talks are scheduled on strategic cooperation, defence, energy, diplomacy and trade partnerships.
It is expected that many proposals on nuclear energy, defense cooperation and space technology can be taken forward in this meeting. Russia may agree to install more nuclear reactors in India, while India may soon acquire the remaining batteries of the S-400 air defense system.
Also, new discussions are possible on S-500 system, next version of BrahMos missiles and joint production of Sukhoi-57 fighter jet (Vladimir Putin India Visit). There is also a possibility of new agreements in shipbuilding, civilian aircraft, high-tech sector, fertilizer and health technology. The framework of cooperation regarding rare earth minerals and urea plant in Russia can also move forward.
India-Russia trade is currently around $70 billion, but due to high imports and low exports, India wants to reduce the trade imbalance. India wants to take concrete steps towards increasing exports of medicines, agricultural products, sea-food and automobiles.
At the same time, due to war conditions in Russia, there is a shortage of skilled workforce, which India can fulfill. This cooperation can strengthen the economic balance in future. This meeting of Putin-Modi is the 17th meeting to take forward the partnership of 25 years of friendship and trust.
The two leaders have interacted on a personal level several times in the past—Putin hosted Modi at his private country house during his visit to Russia last year, while at the SCO summit the two spoke for about 50 minutes while traveling in the same car. This time the welcome was even more symbolic as the Prime Minister himself arrived at the airport to welcome Putin, clearly indicating that both countries are ready to take more major strategic-economic decisions in the coming years.
Pakistan and China are keeping their eyes the most on these possible defense agreements and technical cooperation, because this India-Russia partnership can affect the balance of power in Asia. Putin has come to India with a large delegation, which includes Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister, bank governors and more than 75 industry heads.
Many important agreements are likely to be sealed in the high-level talks to be held on Friday. This may prove to be not just a formal summit but an important chapter affecting global equations.
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