India’s Modi to visit Russia for first time since Ukraine war, underscoring Delhi-Moscow ties

India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment when contacted for further information.

India and Russia share deep economic and political ties, which have remained strong despite sanctions against Moscow from the US and other Western governments after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

India, the world’s third-largest crude consumer, is a major buyer of discounted Russian oil. Moscow remains India’s biggest supplier of military hardware, accounting for 36 per cent of India’s arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Both countries are also members of the Brics group of nations, with Russia holding the rotating chairmanship of the bloc this year.

New Delhi has avoided criticising Russia for invading its neighbour, and has advocated diplomacy to resolve the conflict. Modi skipped an annual in-person summit with Putin in December 2022 after the Russian leader threatened to use nuclear weapons in his war against Ukraine.

Almost a year later, Putin failed to attend the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi, which helped Modi forge a consensus statement on the invasion among the other members, including the US, which sought tough criticism of Russia.