Putin in Delhi tonight; S-400 talks, oil sanctions, Ukraine on agenda

New Delhi, Dec 4: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Delhi on Thursday evening for a tightly choreographed, high-stakes visit that New Delhi views as critical to safeguarding its long-standing strategic partnership with Moscow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host him for a private dinner soon after he lands around 4:30 pm, mirroring the warm gesture extended by Putin during Modi’s trip to Moscow last July.

Putin’s roughly 28-hour stay will see the two sides engage in a packed diplomatic and security agenda, headlined by the 23rd India–Russia annual summit on Friday.

Ahead of the leaders’ meeting, the Russian president will pay homage at Rajghat on Friday morning before receiving a ceremonial welcome.

Modi will then host a working lunch for Putin and his delegation at Hyderabad House. The summit is expected to produce a clutch of agreements across trade, mobility and defence cooperation, including an arrangement to facilitate the movement of Indian workers to Russia and another on logistical support.

Defence ties, ways to cushion bilateral trade from external pressure, and potential cooperation on small modular nuclear reactors are expected to dominate the talks.

Officials said Indian exports are likely to rise in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food products and consumer goods as part of efforts to rebalance trade.

On defence, Thursday’s talks between the two countries’ defence ministers will set the stage for discussions on India’s planned procurement of additional S-400 missile systems, hardware that proved highly effective during Operation Sindoor.

Moscow may also table the possibility of supplying Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets, even as India evaluates contenders including the Rafale, F-21, F/A-18 and Eurofighter Typhoon. Energy cooperation, including Russia’s offer of extra discounts on crude oil, will also be on the table.

After the summit, Putin is scheduled to launch a new India channel of Russia’s state broadcaster before attending a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu. He is expected to depart around 9:30 pm on Friday.

Delhi, meanwhile, is under a sweeping security blanket. Over 5,000 police personnel, anti-drone measures, snipers, SWAT teams and technical surveillance systems have been deployed across the capital, with all VVIP routes secured and minute-to-minute coordination underway.

The location of Putin’s stay remains undisclosed, and traffic advisories will be issued to minimise disruptions as the capital braces for one of its most sensitive visits of the year.

At a time of strained ties with Washington, all of it closely watched by Western capitals amid renewed American efforts to push for an end to the war in Ukraine.

New Delhi, which has consistently argued that diplomacy and dialogue remain the only sustainable path, is expected to raise the impact of US sanctions on its large-scale procurement of Russian crude oil and flag the widening trade deficit that has tilted sharply in Moscow’s favour.

PTI