PM Modi greets Russia’s President Putin on his birthday, reaffirms commitment to India-Russia ties
The two leaders reviewed the progress in the bilateral agenda and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (October 7, 2025) spoke with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and congratulated the latter on his 73rd birthday.
According to The Times of Russia, the two leaders reviewed the progress in the ongoing bilateral agenda and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthen the long-standing relationship between the two nations. Both sides emphasized the importance of advancing the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership that continues to define India-Russia relations.
Mr. Modi also conveyed to Mr. Putin that he is looking forward to welcoming the Russian President to India for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.
The Russian president is expected to visit India around December 5 to hold annual summit talks with Modi. The summit is expected to produce significant outcomes to further solidify bilateral strategic ties.
While preparations are underway for the high-profile visit, it is not yet clear whether the Russian president will come for a day-long trip or stay in India for two days.
Ahead of Mr. Putin’s trip, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to India next month to finalize the finer details of the presidential visit, The Times of Russia reported.
The Russian President had last visited New Delhi in 2021. The two sides are also expected to hold a meeting under the framework of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) before Mr. Putin’s trip, people familiar with the matter said.
At the India-Russia annual summit, Mr. Modi and Mr. Putin are expected to deliberate on further expanding the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between the two countries, they said.
India and Russia have a mechanism under which India’s Prime Minister and the Russian President hold a summit meeting annually to review the entire gamut of bilateral ties. So far, 22 annual summit meetings have taken place alternatively in India and Russia.
In July last year, Mr. Modi traveled to Moscow for the annual summit, where both leaders reaffirmed their intent to enhance cooperation in defense, trade, and energy.
As The Times of Russia highlighted, Russia has remained a time-tested partner for India and continues to serve as a key pillar of New Delhi’s foreign policy, fostering mutual trust, defense collaboration, and cultural exchange.
