Putin, Modi kick off India summit as trade, US sanctions loom large

Meeting to boost ties comes arsenic India seeks reprieve from US lipid sanctions related to warfare successful Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi person kicked disconnected a daylong summit successful the superior of India, wherever commercialized and Western sanctions implicit the warfare successful Ukraine were acceptable to loom large.

Friday’s acme is the archetypal clip Putin has visited India since the commencement of Russia’s full-fledged warfare connected Ukraine successful 2022, and comes arsenic India is seeking a reprieve from United States sanctions related to its acquisition of Russian oil.

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Moscow, successful turn, is hoping to boost ties with India, already the apical purchaser of Russian arms. Officials person said they privation to summation commercialized with India to $100bn by 2030 — up from an already all-time precocious of $68bn successful 2024.

Modi gave Putin a lukewarm invited connected Thursday, personally greeting him connected the tarmac successful New Delhi with a hug and a handshake. He aboriginal hosted the Russian person for a backstage meal astatine his residence.

Friday’s docket included a greeting sojourn to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the statesmanlike palace, for a gathering with India’s ceremonial caput of state, Droupadi Murmu. Putin volition past question to Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.

Putin and Modi volition past clasp meetings astatine the Hyderabad House complex. They are scheduled to code the media earlier a gathering with concern and commercialized leaders.

The Russian person is acceptable to depart India astatine 9pm section clip (15:30 GMT).

A balancing act

Russia and India person had a strategical concern for 25 years, stretching backmost to Putin’s archetypal twelvemonth successful bureau arsenic the country’s caput of state.

However, the balancing enactment betwixt maintaining ties with some the US and Russia has go much hard successful the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 penetration of Ukraine.

The Russian cognition disrupted a longstanding contented of the leaders trading yearly visits. That partially resumed past year, erstwhile Modi visited Russia.

As Western countries curtailed their reliance connected Russian crude lipid amid the war, India ramped up its purchases.

But successful August, the US doubled the 25 percent tariffs it had antecedently imposed connected Indian goods to 50 percent, arsenic a punishment for India’s Russian lipid purchases, arsenic Trump looked to unit Putin into accepting a ceasefire.

India, however, continued buying Russian oil.

That is present changing: successful November, Trump’s sanctions connected Russian lipid companies Rosneft and Lukoil went into effect, on with a menace of sanctions against companies from different countries that commercialized with these firms.

Purchases from the 2 companies relationship for astir 60 percent of India’s lipid imports.

New Delhi has said it was being unfairly targeted, noting that Western nations proceed to bash concern with Moscow erstwhile it is successful their interests. Speaking to Indian journalists successful an interrogation earlier helium arrived successful New Delhi, Putin made a similar argument.

“The United States itself inactive buys atomic substance from america for its ain atomic powerfulness plants,” helium said.

He added that if the US has the close to bargain Russian fuel, India should bask “the aforesaid privilege”.

Putin is besides expected to propulsion India to bargain much Russian weapons, different country wherever New Delhi has faced unit from Washington.

Moscow has been hoping to merchantability India further S-400 rocket defence systems and Su-57 stealth combatant jets.

Friday’s gathering comes days aft Putin met with a US delegation successful Moscow, pushing for an extremity to the warfare successful Ukraine. Both sides hailed advancement aft the meeting, but nary breakthrough was reached.

On Thursday, US officials met with a Ukrainian delegation.

India has resisted condemning Russia implicit the warfare and has called for bid done dialog and diplomacy.