Indian PM Narendra Modi likely to visit Russia in July

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Russia in July, expectedly for the annual India-Russia summit, marking his first visit to the country in five years. His last visit to Russia was in September 2019, when he attended the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Indiaand Russia havethe tradition of annual summit, that began in October 2000 during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India. The final contours of the visit are yet to be decided.

The last annual summit took place in December 2021 in New Delhi, with President Putin attending. The regularity of these summits has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and other unspecified reasons over the past two years. This forthcoming visit, if materialises, will be Modi's first to Russia since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.

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Earlier this month, President Putin had a telephone conversation with PM Modi, congratulating him on his 3rd term. A statement from the Kremlin said, "Vladimir Putin warmly congratulated Narendra Modi on the success of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the recent 18th Lok Sabha elections. This reflects the support of the political course pursued by the Indian leadership, recognition of the results achieved in the socio-economic development of the country and strengthening of its international authority." PM Modi's Russia visit is expected to be his first bilateral foreign visit in his 3rd term, even though he travelled to Italy but that was in the context of the multilateral, G7 summit.

President Putin hasinvited PM Modi to visit Russia, including during External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar's visit last year. Russia holds the BRICS presidency this year and is set to host the BRICS summit in Kazan in October, where PM Modi is expected to participate given India is a key member of the grouping.

The India-Russia relationship is characterised as a ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,’ focusing on defence, energy, and connectivity as among the key pillars. Ahead of the summit, Russia has approved a military logistics pact with India to enhance interoperability between the two nations' armed forces. In the energy sector, India's import of Russian crude oil has significantly increased over the past two years, despite Western pressure.

Connectivity projects are also a focal point of bilateral cooperation. The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) aims to connect Mumbai to Moscow, facilitating trade between the two nations. Additionally, the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor is being developed to further strengthen economic ties between India and Russia's Far East.