Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to travel to India in December as the two nations deepen their partnership amid rising tensions with Washington over New Delhi’s energy trade with Moscow.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to reporters, including AFP, that Putin will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China on Monday, where preparations for the December visit will be discussed.
India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had previously stated that the Russian president's visit was planned, though the final itinerary was yet to be confirmed. "We have got a special, long relationship and we value this relationship," Doval had stated.
Trump has accused India of profiting from discounted Russian crude, writing, “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine."
The United States has justified the action, claiming the tariffs are meant to pressure Moscow to stop its war in Ukraine. New Delhi, however, has called the actions "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," noting that both the U.S. and European nations still import energy from Russia.
Since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Western allies of Ukraine have been trying to cut Moscow's oil revenues. But Russia has managed to reroute much of its energy exports to Asian customers, notably India and China, keeping a continuous flow of revenue.
Earlier this month, Putin had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Modi to update him on his talks with President Donald Trump in Alaska for the Ukraine conflict. Modi reaffirmed India's "consistent position for a peaceful solution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue" during the call.
The leaders also discussed a number of fields of bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to further develop the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership of India and Russia.
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