Putin to Visit India Next Week for Talks on Strategic Partnership, Kremlin Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS

RIYADH, November 29, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss all aspects of Russia’s “privileged strategic partnership” with India during a state visit to New Delhi next week, the Kremlin said on Friday.

India remains a major buyer of Russian oil and has relied on Russian military equipment for decades, although a senior defence official said the country has purchased nearly $30 billion in U.S. arms over the past ten years and aims to increase domestic production.

“They (the Russians) have been our friends through both fair and foul weather, and we are not going to stop our defence cooperation with them anytime soon,” Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said in New Delhi.

He added that India follows a policy of strategic autonomy and is diversifying suppliers, while prioritising greater domestic defence manufacturing.

Putin last visited India in December 2021, months before Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine the following February.

The Kremlin described the upcoming visit as significant, saying it provides an opportunity “to comprehensively discuss the extensive agenda of Russian-Indian relations as a particularly privileged strategic partnership.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to halt India’s purchases of Russian oil. In August, Washington imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, which Moscow described as illegal trade pressure.

Trade sources said this week that India’s oil imports from Russia in December are set to fall to their lowest level in at least three years, following multi-month highs in November, as refiners seek alternatives to avoid breaching Western sanctions.

During his December 4–5 state visit, Putin will hold talks with Modi and meet separately with President Droupadi Murmu. The Kremlin said several intergovernmental and commercial agreements are expected to be signed.