Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Putin recently took the opportunity to display their burgeoning bilateral relationship with an important summit in Tianjin, China. That meeting occurred just after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Their meeting underscores both countries’ commitment to deepening collaboration across a number of fields. These interests range from regional stability to trade to energy.
Modi referred to India’s relationship with Russia as “special and privileged.” He reiterated New Delhi’s vigorous desire to deepen its relations with Moscow. The meeting comes on the heels of Modi’s July 2023 visit to Russia. Beyond healing cultural scars, that trip deepened their fledgling diplomatic relations.
Focus on Regional Stability and Trade
Modi and Putin’s conversations were focused on important matters facing both nations. They stressed the importance of regional stability and reiterated their shared desire to deepen the bilateral trade.
India and Russia have stepped up efforts to increase their bilateral trade. They’ve adopted a pretty ambitious goal of getting there by 2030 doing it! During FY 2024-25, the bilateral trade reached a historic high of $68.7 billion. This notable personage underscores the depth of their surging economic partnership.
Given that Russia now represents nearly 37 percent of India’s total oil imports, energy cooperation is an important area to watch. Modi welcomed the peace initiatives to end the brutal war between Russia and Ukraine. This would reiterate India’s commitment to contributing to global peacekeeping efforts.
A Warm Reception and Personal Connection
The warmth and personal touch of the meeting was underscored as Modi greeted Putin with a hug. They squeezed each other’s hand and laughed together in front of the press, conveying to the world that their friendship was as solid as ever.
Putin then praised Modi as a “dear friend,” marking the 20th anniversary of the special relationship between their countries. To this day, Russia and India share privileged strategic relations decades in the making. Friendly, trusting. I think this is a good basis for the further development of our relations,” commented Putin.
The leaders had a private one-on-one chat for almost an hour first before moving on to more formal talks. Modi noted the importance of finding a way to achieve lasting peace, stating, “To end the conflict soonest and establish peace permanently, we need to find out a way. It’s a call of the entire humanity.”
Delegation and Future Prospects
Accompanied by a large delegation of top government officials, Putin’s visit highlights Russia’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with India. The size and presence of such a delegation is an important signal of the priority both countries attach to their bilateral partnership.
Putin’s mode of transport—a custom-made, high-end Aurus limousine—serves to further reinforce Putin’s desire on foreign trips to emphasize Russian strength and dominance. This fixation on minutia hides a deeper strategy to improve bilateral relations through very public displays of national pride.
These talks sharpened the focus on expanding collaboration beyond the existing robust trade and energy sectors. This clearly demonstrates a deep yearning to broaden their collaboration in various sectors in the coming years.
