First Time Since December 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly set to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin and announce a visit schedule for early next year.
According to major Indian media on the 2nd (local time), Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, said in a briefing, "We have received an invitation from Prime Minister Modi and will consider it positively," adding that Putin's tentative visit to India will be decided early next year.
If Putin visits India, it will be his first visit since December 2021, two months before the outbreak of the Ukraine war. At that time, President Putin held the annual summit with Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Modi visited Moscow last July for the annual summit with President Putin, and three months later, they met again at the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia. During his July visit to Moscow, Modi invited President Putin to hold the annual summit in India next year.
India maintains a traditional friendly relationship with Russia. Having imported a large amount of Russian-made weapons, India has shown a different stance from the West by importing Russian crude oil at low prices after Russia faced Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, India also participates in the Quad, a four-nation security dialogue (including Japan and Australia) created by the United States to counter China.
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