The defence dimension is the major part of discussion in this visit.
Putin Arrives in India 2025: PM Modi Hosts Dinner, Rajghat Visit, Bilateral Talks & Defence Deals
On December 4, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India for a two-day visit – his first visit since 2021. The visit is focused around the India-Russia Annual Summit, marking the 23rd such summit in nearly three decades.
On Thursday evening, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to host a private dinner at his official residence for the Russian President. This dinner mirrors a similar event held in Moscow during Modi’s July 2024 trip, emphasising the personal rapport between the two leaders.
On December 5, 2025, the formal schedule begins. In the morning, Putin will receive a ceremonial welcome and tri-services guard of honour at the presidential residence, followed by a visit to Rajghat, where he will lay a wreath at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.
Afterwards, the leaders will hold bilateral talks at Hyderabad House with their respective delegations and discuss a wide-ranging agenda – from defence cooperation and energy to trade, agriculture, industry, technology, mining, healthcare, labour migration, peaceful space cooperation, and more.
Post discussion, a business event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and its Russian counterpart is scheduled at the conference venue Bharat Mandapam. This forum is expected to highlight further economic cooperation and diversification of bilateral trade – a priority given past trade imbalance (Russia-heavy).
Afterwards, Putin will inaugurate the Indian version of the Russian broadcaster RT at an event in Delhi, followed by a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu, before his departure.
The defence dimension is the major part of discussion in this visit. Some of the key agenda items are further deepening of military-technical cooperation, including possible supply of advanced military hardware (such as S-400 air-defence systems, combat jets including the fifth-generation Su-57, and nuclear energy cooperation via small modular reactors), and also implementation of the recently ratified logistics-exchange pact that would allow reciprocal use of military infrastructure, facilitating joint exercises, port calls and logistical support for warships and military aircraft.
India and Russia are expected to sign a host of intergovernmental and commercial agreements covering sectors such as trade, economy, agriculture, academia, industry, energy, and possibly labour mobility.
Given the backdrop of shifting global geopolitics, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this visit becomes even more crucial. The agenda reflects New Delhi’s cautious balancing act: reinforcing a long-standing “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Moscow while also responding to evolving global pressures.
Putin’s 2025 India visit is designed to recalibrate and deepen multifaceted cooperation between India and Russia — defence, trade, energy, technology and people-to-people ties — through a blend of high-level diplomacy, strategic dialogue, and business engagement.
Source: Hindustan Times
