Extracts From Yury Ushakov’s Briefing Ahead of Russia-India Summit

On December 4-5, at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to New Delhi.

The bilateral political dialogue is regular and confidential. This year, the leaders held a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of State Council Meeting in Tianjin, China, on September 1, and had five telephone conversations. In addition, in Moscow, the Russian President received Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and twice – External Affairs Minister Dr S.Jaishankar.

Cooperation between Russia and India is actively expanding. Its core is a strong and long-term friendship and mutual respect. This year (December 21) marks the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Joint Statement, which noted the elevation of Russian-Indian relations to the level of the special and privileged strategic partnership. We are strengthening cooperation in the spheres of politics and security, economy and finance, transport and logistics, science and technology, education and culture.

This visit is of high importance and provides an opportunity to discuss the entire extensive agenda of Russian-Indian relations comprehensively. In addition to the main talks with Narendra Modi, the program includes a visit to the Russia-India Business Forum and participation in the launch ceremony of the RT TV channel in India.

It is planned that Vladimir Putin will also have a separate meeting with President of India Droupadi Murmu. Following the visit, a Joint Statement is expected to be adopted, as well as a number of bilateral documents to be signed and adopted in a wide range of areas, including the Program for the Development of Strategic Areas of Russian-Indian Economic Cooperation until 2030.

It is planned that key aspects of trade and economic cooperation will be discussed in detail during the Summit. In 2024, the bilateral trade turnover increased by 12%, up to USD 63.6 billion. In August, Moscow hosted a substantive regular meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission co-chaired by Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and External Affairs Minister Dr S.Jaishankar. We have many large-scale promising projects in various areas, including industrial cooperation, innovative technologies, transport, peaceful space exploration, mining, healthcare, labor migration programs, and many others.

Tourist exchanges are taking place. In 2024, our citizens made over 80 thousand trips to India, while Indians visited Russia more than 40 thousand times. This area has considerable potential.

The leaders are also expected to exchange views on topical international issues, including cooperation in the UN, the SCO, the G20 and BRICS, taking into account India’s chairmanship in the association in 2026.