Russian President Vladimir Putin in India: Key pacts that may be signed during the visit
Russian President Vladimir Putin's two day visit to New Delhi is expected to deliver a series of key agreements across trade, defence, energy and labour mobility. India and Russia will review their long standing strategic partnership and outline new areas of cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to undertake a two-day visit to India beginning December 4 for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Ministry of External Affairs said, "The forthcoming state visit (of President Putin) will provide an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to review progress in bilateral relations, set the vision for strengthening the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest." Ahead of his visit, Putin stated that Moscow aims to "elevate cooperation" with both India and China to a "qualitatively new level."
Wide range of agreements expected
India and Russia are likely to sign several agreements during the summit across sectors such as trade, economy, healthcare, academics, culture and media. According to an MEA official, the focus will be on the steadily expanding economic engagement between the two nations. Defence, energy and space cooperation also remain central pillars of the partnership and both sides are keen to deepen collaboration in these areas, as per officials. With Russia increasingly seeking manpower, the two countries are expected to finalise a labour mobility agreement to protect Indian workers and boost skilled migration. Officials added that both sides have been working to reduce India’s trade deficit with Russia in recent months.
S-400 and Su-57 discussions on agenda
In an online briefing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that S 400 systems and the Su-57 fighter programme are high on the agenda during President Putin's visit. He said Russia is eager to strengthen import channels from India and highlighted that bilateral trade has already touched 63 billion dollars. Peskov expressed confidence that the trade volume will rise to 100 billion dollars by 2030.
Oil trade and third country pressure
Speaking on the oil trade, the Kremlin spokesperson said Moscow is working to ensure the rights of both sellers and buyers in future transactions. Responding to a question on US tariffs, he said Russia understands that India faces pressure from various directions but added that bilateral relations "must be free of any influence coming from third countries." He praised India's sovereign decision-making and said Russia values the historic friendship between the two nations.
New payment framework likely
India and Russia are also expected to formalise a new payment mechanism that may involve the UAE dirham or a link between Russia's SPFS system and India's RuPay network. After Russia's partial removal from SWIFT, payments shifted to a multi-currency format dominated by the dirham, rupee and Chinese yuan.
Trade imbalance remains a key challenge
It is to be noted here that India's merchandise exports to Russia have grown modestly but remain overshadowed by large energy-related imports. Exports increased from USD 4.3 billion in FY24 to USD 4.9 billion in FY25, with USD 2.25 billion recorded in April to September 2025. The export basket continues to be narrow, led by machinery at USD 367.8 million, pharmaceuticals at USD 246 million and organic chemicals at USD 165.8 million in the first half of FY26.
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