CAUGHT BY ARABNEWS.COM
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin will have talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Russia on Monday and Tuesday of next week, the Kremlin announced on Thursday. Russian officials originally revealed the visit last month, but the dates were not previously made public.
Since the start of the Russian-Indian conflict in February 2022, Moscow has relied more and more on New Delhi as a major trading partner. Russia and India have strong relations dating back to the Cold War. Following sanctions implemented by the US and its allies that closed down the majority of Western markets for Russian exports, China and India have emerged as major customers of Russian oil.
India has not denounced Russia’s actions in Ukraine under Modi’s leadership, despite stressing the need for a peaceful resolution.
However, because of the fighting in Ukraine, Russia began forging stronger connections with China, India’s principal opponent, and the alliance between Moscow and New Delhi has grown unstable.
Modi did not attend the security grouping’s gathering on Thursday, which was organized by Beijing and Moscow to oppose Western alliances.
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s annual conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, Prime Minister Modi dispatched his foreign minister. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are present during the meeting.
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According to rumors in Indian media, Modi, who was just reelected, was preoccupied last week with the parliamentary session.
In 2019, Modi paid a visit to Russia for an economic symposium held in Vladivostok, a port in the country’s Far East. His most recent trip to Moscow was in 2015. Putin last met with Modi in September 2022 at a summit of the SCO in Uzbekistan. In 2021, Putin visited New Delhi as well and had discussions with the Prime Minister of India.
Tensions between Beijing and New Delhi have remained since an altercation between opposing troops at the disputed China-India border in June 2020, during which rocks, clubs, and fists were used. At least twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
systems, Navy, after being elected to a third term in a row. During the G7 meeting last month in the Apulia region of Italy, Modi discussed energy, artificial intelligence, and regional issues in Africa and the Mediterranean.
In the early 1990s, the Soviet Union supplied over 70% of India’s army armaments, 80% of its air force systems, and 85% of its navy platforms.
