No official date for Putin's visit has been confirmed yet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India later this year, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval confirmed during his Moscow visit. While Doval refrained from revealing specific dates, Russian news agency Interfax reported that preparations are underway for a high-profile state visit likely to take place in the coming months.
Speaking from Moscow, Doval underscored the depth of India-Russia ties. "We have got a special, long relationship, and we value this relationship. We have had high-level engagement, and these high-level engagements have contributed very substantially. We are very excited and delighted to learn about the visit of President Putin to India. I think the dates are almost finalised now," the NSA remarked.
Putin's upcoming visit will further strengthen bilateral cooperation across defence, energy, and strategic affairs. This development comes at a crucial point for India, as its continued oil and defence trade with Russia has become the reason for its relationship with the United States.
In the past few weeks, tensions between New Delhi and Washington have escalated over India’s trade relationship with Russia. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports. This takes the total duties on Indian imports to the U.S. to 50%. The move is a direct response to India's continued import of discounted Russian oil amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict, now in its fourth year.
Trump has also warned of broader secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian energy unless President Putin halts military operations in Ukraine by Friday. “We will not tolerate financial support for Moscow’s war machine,” Trump stated, alleging that India’s oil purchases are effectively helping Russia bypass Western sanctions.
The tariff hike has already started to affect trade negotiations between India and the United States, with ongoing talks reportedly on hold. Further trade negotiations between India and the U.S. will take place on August 25th.
India and Russia have shared robust ties since the Soviet era, with deep cooperation across nuclear energy, space technology, defence procurement, and hydrocarbons. Over the years, bilateral trade has grown, with recent data suggesting the trade volume to be at an all-time high. This statistic is largely driven by India's purchase of discounted crude oil and Russian investments in India's infrastructure and defence sectors.
Despite growing Western pressure, India has maintained that its decisions are rooted in national interest and strategic autonomy. Officials in New Delhi continue to stress that India's relationship with Russia is not transactional but time-tested, spanning decades of political, economic, and military collaboration.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has confirmed that Putin is also scheduled to meet President Trump soon. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, said both sides are working on finalising the details of the meeting and that an official announcement regarding the venue will follow shortly.
As global geopolitics shift, Putin’s anticipated visit to India could reaffirm New Delhi’s balancing act between traditional alliances and emerging challenges.
Read More: Trump to Meet Putin Amid Ukraine War, Here’s What Kremlin Said
