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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow for a standalone State visit from July 8 to 9 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin that is expected to focus on strategic, economic and military ties, will reverse the perception of a “drift” in relations, said experts.
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The Modi-Putin talks are expected to focus on the rise in India-Russia trade due to India’s import of oil, smoothening out payment issues arising from Western sanctions, build on previous conversations on the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime route, and conclude the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) agreement, that will pave the way for more defence exchanges.
Mr. Modi’s trip to Moscow is his first visit since 2015, and marks a return to the decades-old annual India-Russia summit format. He had met Mr. Putin in St. Petersburg in 2017, Sochi in 2018, Vladivostok in 2019 apart from Mr. Putin’s visits to India in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan in 2022, but have not held the annual bilateral summit for the last three years.
Sources said the final details of Mr. Modi’s programme is still being finalised, and advance MEA and security teams are in Moscow to make arrangements for the visit, which has yet to be formally announced.
The PM’s trip, which is likely to be his first bilateral visit abroad in his third term, would place Russia on par with India’s closest neighbours that have normally been the destination of first visits by Indian Prime Ministers.
The visit will also be a signal to Western countries including the U.S. and Europe that Mr. Modi intends to continue to “balance” India’s ties, two years since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began.
On the bilateral front, officials said that India and Russia are discussing increased investments in the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor and in Siberia, while India wants to source minerals from Russia.
Issues that need to be sorted include insurance, and negotiating with ports in between for transit, a source said, adding that there may be some issues with ports in China. The maritime route presents a more effective option than the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) or other options, the source added.