Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Russia today for a two-day official visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the 22nd India-Russia annual summit where the two leaders will  review a range of bilateral issues from trade linkages and energy cooperation to education and defence.

This is the Indian PM’s first visit to Russia since Moscow attacked Ukraine in February 2022 leading to several economic sanctions against the country from the US and the EU.  Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Russian media on Sunday that the West was “closely and jealously” watching Modi’s upcoming visit to Russia

India and Russia are currently working on a series of outcome documents in a number of areas, which would be the result of the summit, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Modi is scheduled to arrive in Moscow late afternoon on Monday and attend a private dinner in the evening hosted by Putin, according to the PM’s schedule.

On Tuesday, Modi and Putin will hold  restricted level talks which will be followed by delegation level talks led by the two. He will then leave for Vienna for the second leg of his two-nation tour.

The PM is also scheduled to meet the Indian community in Russia on Tuesday and lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Kremlin. A visit to the Rosatom Pavilion at the exhibition venue in Moscow is also on the programme.

The 22nd annual summit between India and Russia would provide an opportunity to the two leaders to review the whole range of bilateral issues, including defence, trade linkages, investment ties, energy cooperation, S&T, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra recently said at a media briefing on the visit.

“They would also share perspectives on regional and global developments of mutual interest. They would also assess the status of bilateral engagements in groupings such as BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, G20, East Asia Summit, and the UN,” he said.

The issue of early discharge of Indian nationals who have been misled into the service of the Russian army is also expected to figure in the discussions, Kwatra said.

India’s growing trade deficit with Russia is likely to feature prominently on Modi’s agenda in his talks with Putin. Following the West’s sanctions on Russia to punish it for its attack on Ukraine, India’s oil purchase from Russia, offered at a cheaper price, increased several fold pushing its total imports from the country to about $61 billion.

However, its exports to Russia are at about $4 billion leading to a big trade deficit of more than $56 billion.

Kwatra said attempts have to be made to increase exports from India in all sectors, whether agriculture, manufacturing pharmaceuticals or services. 

Investment ties between the two countries are also growing in sectors such as energy, banking, railways, and steel. “Russia also remains an important partner for India’s energy security and defence.

In the area of nuclear energy, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant units 1 and 2 have already become operational. And the work is progressing on units 3 and 6,” Kwatra said.

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