Putin to visit India on Modi's invite; preparations on: Russian FM Lavrov

Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Segey Lavrov has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to visit India and preparations are underway for it.

In a video address to a conference titled "Russia and India: Toward a New Bilateral Agenda" being hosted by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) on Thursday, Lavrov stated, "arrangements are currently being made for Putin to visit India." "(Russian) President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to visit from the Indian head of government. A visit by the Russian head of state to the Republic of India is currently being prepared," the Russian foreign minister was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency.

Lavrov noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his first foreign visit to Russia upon his re-election last year. "Now it's our turn," he said.

However, dates of the visit have not been revealed yet.

Relations between Russia and India have been getting more upbeat in recent times, with Russia showing satisfaction over India's abstention from resolutions at the UN condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The warming of relations also saw more trade deals being concluded between the two countries, especially in oil trade wherr India benefited from Russia's reduced prices at the face of Western sanctions in the wake of Ukraine. However, since the Trump regime took over in the US, attitude towads Russia has also cooled down with less of bellicosity in display by Washington DC.

In July 2024, Prime Minister Modi visited Russia. It was Modi's first trip to Russia in nearly five years. His last visit to Russia was in 2019 when he attended an economic conclave in the Far East city of Vladivostok.

During the visit, Modi invited the Russian President to visit India. PTI

(PTI feed)