Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia next week for talks with Vladimir Putin, India’s foreign ministry has announced.
Mr Modi will visit the country for two days from Monday at Mr Putin’s invitation, it said in a statement.
According to the foreign ministry, the two leaders will review their countries’ developing bilateral ties and discuss regional and global issues.
The Kremlin said earlier this week that the planned visit had been likely to take place in July. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described it as “very important”.
“In addition, our trade and economic cooperation is also
one of the main issues that is being discussed, the most diverse
areas of cooperation that we intend to develop, for which there
is mutual political will,” Mr Peskov said.
“This is the main thing.”
Mr Modi last visited Russia in 2019 for an economic forum in the far eastern port of Vladivostok.
India is the world’s third-largest crude consumer and a major buyer of Russian oil, increasing its purchase more than 20 times compared with 2021 as Russia discounts its barrels amid Western energy restrictions.
Mr Modi sent Mr Putin “warm congratulations” when he extended his presidential term in March following an election which Western nations deemed to be neither free nor fair.
India has retained a neutral position on the conflict, refraining from publicly criticising Mr Putin’s invasion while trying to maintain ties with the West.
Russia has increasingly sought to strengthen ties with its partners as it tries to avoid becoming a global pariah following its invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Putin has made recent visits to both North Korea and Vietnam, and in the former signed a security deal.
