“CRITICAL MOMENT”
A senior Indian foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a need to address the trade imbalance “one way or the other”.
Bilateral trade reached US$68.7 billion in 2024 to 2025 – almost six times higher than the pre-pandemic levels – but Indian exports accounted for only US$4.88 billion.
Delhi has been pressing Moscow for expanded market access for its key industries, including pharmaceuticals, automobiles and the service sector.
Harsh V Pant, a professor of international relations at King’s College London, said the visit was an attempt “to reset their relationship at a critical geopolitical moment for both”.
“For India, the optics is a statement of intent for strategic autonomy, and Putin, who rarely travels, is sending a message about the importance of the relationship by travelling here,” Pant told AFP.
The Indian foreign ministry official described the ties between Moscow and Delhi as the “most stable relationship in modern times”.
The official acknowledged the global geopolitical significance, but insisted that the meeting should be seen in the context as “just another annual summit”.
