Putin to visit India next week: S-400 missile system, civil nuclear energy in focus. What's on platter?

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit India for two days starting 4 December to hold annual summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The discussions are expected to yield several significant outcomes, particularly in the defence sector, further reinforcing bilateral strategic ties.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that the visit will help shape the vision for strengthening the India-Russia ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’.

What's on the platter?

The Kremlin said both sides are expected to adopt a joint statement and sign a "wide range of interdepartmental and business agreements" following the talks between the leaders.

PTI reported, citing sources, that ways to bolster two-way trade using local currencies, taking forward bilateral energy cooperation notwithstanding Western sanctions against Russia, further enhancing defence ties and the Ukraine conflict are likely to dominate the talks.

The two sides are also likely to focus on deepening cooperation in areas of civil nuclear energy.

“At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will pay a State visit to India from December 4 to 5 for the 23rd India-Russia annual summit,” the MEA said in a brief statement.

“The forthcoming State visit will provide an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to review progress in bilateral relations, set the vision for strengthening the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the ministry stated.

President Droupadi Murmu will also receive Putin and host a banquet in his honour.

S-400 missile system

According to PTI, citing sources familiar with Putin's trip to New Delhi, India is reportedly considering procuring additional batches of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia, as these weapons were found to be highly effective during Operation Sindoor.

The Russian S-400 Triumf system lived up to expectations during Operation Sindoor in terms of its attack capability as well as its survival, as Pakistan repeatedly targeted the system at Adampur and Bhuj air base using Chinese long-range weapons.

After the initial attack on 7 May, such was the fear of the S-400 system that Pakistan had to move all its air assets beyond 300 km from the Indian border, with hardly any aircraft getting airborne on 10 May. The S-400 long-range missiles not only took down a Pak ELINT aircraft 314 km away in Punjab, Pakistan, but also brought down Pakistani F-16 and JF-17 fighters up north. S-400 proved not only to be a powerful stand-off weapon but also served as a huge deterrent against Pakistan's air-borne offensive, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.

In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Three squadrons have already been delivered, and the remaining two are expected to be sent by the middle of next year.

Defence and energy

There is also a possibility that India may hold talks with the Russian side on the possibility of buying at least two squadrons of the Su-57 fighter jets, though New Delhi has not made any final decision on the procurement.

In the energy sector, it is learnt that Russia has offered India additional discounts for its procurement of crude oil, PTI reported.

The offer came after the volume of India's purchase of Russian crude oil registered a decline in the last few weeks following the latest wave of US sanctions on two Russian oil producers.

The Kremlin said Putin's visit to India carries "significant importance" as it offers an opportunity to review the entire spectrum of the special and privileged strategic partnership -- from politics, trade and the economy to science, technology, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

“The current international and regional issues will also feature prominently in the talks with the Indian delegation led by Prime Minister Modi,” it said.

Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India and Russia are looking at firming up a number of agreements, initiatives and projects to add more substance to the ties during President Putin's visit to New Delhi.

“A number of bilateral agreements, initiatives and projects are under discussion in various fields. We look forward to their finalization in the coming days,” he had said during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

“These will certainly add more substance and texture to our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” he 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 ties.

To date, 22 annual summit meetings have been held alternately in India and Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last visited New Delhi in 2021, while Prime Minister Modi travelled to Moscow for the annual summit in July of last year.

India-Russia relations

Rooted in historical ties dating back to the Soviet Union era, Indo-Russian relations continue to remain strong. Russia has long been a trusted partner for India and remains a key pillar of New Delhi’s foreign policy.

Economic ties between the two nations have grown significantly, with India becoming Russia’s second-largest trading partner following the Russia-Ukraine war. Bilateral trade surged 1.8 times compared to 2022, reaching USD 65 billion in 2023, making Russia India's fourth-largest trading partner, although trade imbalances remain a challenge.

As key BRICS members, India and Russia continue to push for greater representation of emerging economies in global institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations (UN), and the World Bank. While Russia looks to deepen economic engagement with India to counter Western sanctions, India continues to maintain its strategic autonomy, balancing relations with the United States, Europe, and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) countries.

The partnership remains strategically important as global geopolitical tensions evolve. Factors such as the Russia-Ukraine war, Indo-Pacific security dynamics, and rising global protectionism under a potential “Trump 2.0” influence their bilateral interactions.

(With inputs from PTI)