Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi

The most important condition for the development of special relations between Russia and India is the friendly relations between the leaders of the two great countries, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi. The leaders communicate a great deal and hold frequent meetings, which have become crucial milestones in the development of the partnership between the countries and crucial factors in strengthening global stability.

One of the main informal meetings between Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of Russia Vladimir Putin took place at the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region, on July 2024. The Prime Minister of India was in Russia on a two-day official visit.

The leaders discussed the development of traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations and current issues on the international and regional agendas.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin said: ‘Mr Prime Minister, dear friend, good afternoon. I am delighted to see you.

We will hold official talks tomorrow, and today we can discuss the issues on our agenda unofficially, in a quiet and comfortable atmosphere.

This is the official residence where I live. On that side, there are the premises where I work with my colleagues. And on this side, there are accommodation premises and the block where I live. We visited it today.

But first I would like to congratulate you on being re-elected as Prime Minister. I think that there is a good reason for that. It is the result of the many years of your work at the helm of government. You have ideas of your own, you are a very energetic person, you know how to get results to benefit India and its people. And the outcome is obvious: India is the third-largest economy in the world. It is probably the largest country in the world by population, 1.4 billion people.

But it is not the main thing. The main thing is that 23 million babies are born in India every year, which is a lot even for a country like India. It is the highest rate in the world. But it is more than just a rate. It shows that people are planning their families and lives, and their planning horizon is expanding. It means that they feel comfortable and stable, which is extremely important.

First, I would like to congratulate you on this, and second, I want to say that I am delighted to see you.’

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi said: ‘Visiting a friend in his home is a delight. You have invited me to your home. I would like to thank you for the interesting programme of my visit and for your warm words. I greatly appreciate this.

You are right that these elections were very important and huge in scale. India is the largest democracy; it is considered the mother of democracy. About 650 million people took part in that election. It is the first time in 60 years that a government has been elected for a third term in a row. The first time it happened was when India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected for a third term. I have done the same 60 years later. The people of India have given me a chance to serve my homeland.

The people of India who have given this mandate to me… I have worked in government for 10 years, and my principle is reform, perform, transform. So, the Indian people voted for that principle, and I am confident that I will work three times more during my third term.’

Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi meet frequently and very productively. For example, we can recall a special meeting in September 2022. Following the SCO summit in Samarkand, Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

During that, Russia’s President noted: ‘First of all, I want to start our meeting by personally congratulating you and the entire friendly nation of India on the holiday you celebrated last month: I mean the 75th anniversary of independence of the Republic of India. I wish India all the best.

I also know that tomorrow is your birthday, my dear friend. According to Russian tradition, you are not supposed to wish anyone an early happy birthday, therefore I can’t do it, but I would like you to know that we remembered, we know about it and wish you all the best anyway, to you as well as to the people of India; we wish prosperity to the friendly country of India that you lead.

Bilateral relations can be characterised as a privileged strategic partnership, and they continue to develop actively. We are actively cooperating on international platforms and discussing all global developments, including unfavourable ones at times.

I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine and the concerns that you constantly express. We will do our best to make it stop as soon as possible. We will always keep you informed of what is happening there.

We are actively working at the SCO, and today’s summit of the SCO heads of state, which I believe was very successful, is the best proof of it. It is important that we constantly coordinate our positions despite coronavirus-related restrictions: we had telephone conversations four times, and our staff is always in touch.

I would like to thank you for your video greetings for the participants of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

I fondly recall my own visit to New Delhi last December and my fruitful conversations with you. I would like to use this occasion to invite you to visit Russia.

Clearly, constructive relations are developing in the economic sphere. Trade is growing, including due to additional deliveries of Russian fertilisers to the Indian market, as you asked. The volume of fertilisers delivered from Russia to India increased by more than eight times – not by some percentage, but by more than eight times. I hope that this will help Indian farmers to manage the difficult challenge of providing food for the country’s population.

Large joint projects in the oil and gas sector and in the nuclear power industry are being consistently implemented. For Russians, the rich history and ancient culture of India are traditionally of great interest, and in this regard, we propose intensifying the talks on an agreement on visa-free tourist travel. We could also think about holding cross years of Russia and India in 2024.’

Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi said: ‘Your Excellency, I am very glad to have an opportunity to meet with you again today. We had a chance to talk when we saw each other last time in December, during your visit to New Delhi, where we discussed a wide range of issues. And, as you said, since then we have had several telephone conversations.

Besides bilateral cooperation between Russia and India, we also discussed various global issues. We are meeting again today. Indeed, food security, energy security, and the availability of fertilisers are a major concern, especially for developing countries. Without a doubt, we need to find a solution to all these issues, and in particular, we both need to plan initiatives to this end. These issues have already been discussed today.

Your Excellency, I want to express my gratitude to both Russia and Ukraine, because when the crisis began, at first thousands of Indian students were trapped in Ukraine, but thanks to the support we received from both Russia and Ukraine, we were able to ensure the safe return of Indian students. I am grateful to both countries.

I know that now is not an age of wars. We have spoken about it many times, in particular in our telephone conversations. Democracy, diplomacy, and dialogue are important tools for us to find solutions. It is necessary to achieve peace in the future, and I am sure that we can discuss this. I welcome the opportunity to understand your point of view better.

Relations between Russia and India have significantly improved. We believe they are extremely important. We are friends, and for decades we have always stood shoulder to shoulder. The whole world is aware of the nature of Russian-Indian relations, and the world also knows the deep friendship, in particular the personal friendly ties that bind us. We first met in 2001 when I was in state government in India, and our friendship has only grown stronger ever since. In the interests of the well-being of this region, our peoples and citizens, we are once again making efforts today, in particular within the framework of the SCO summit. Thank you for the support you have given to India.’

Vladimir Putin's visit to India at December 2021 has already been called a special historic milestone in the development of special friendly relations between Russia and India, two undoubtedly great countries. In addition, the two countries signed a package of documents before the Russian President’s meeting with the Prime Minister of India. They include an intergovernmental agreement on technology protection due to cooperation in space research and the use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and on building and operating launch vehicles and ground-based space infrastructure; an intergovernmental agreement on the Military-Technical Cooperation Programme for 2021-2031; as well as a protocol amending the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in manufacturing Kalashnikov series small arms of February 18, 2019. The expanded meeting between the two delegations was followed by a face-to-face conversation over a working lunch. Following the summit, a Joint Statement Russia – India: Partnership for Peace, Progress and Prosperity was adopted.

The Indian army, the second largest army in the world, is switching to new Kalashnikov assault rifles, and the skies over India will now be protected by Russian S-400 systems. The first shipment of anti-aircraft missile systems to India coincides with Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi, but defense cooperation is not the only element of Russian-Indian relations.

At his meeting with Prime Minister Modi the training of the second Indian cosmonaut in history, the construction of a nuclear power plant, cooperation in the manufacture of medicines and new ships were discussed. All of this will help triple trade turnover in the coming years.

A foreign visit, a meeting of leaders is always an event, and given all the covidual restrictions, it was an exceptional event. From the airport, the Russian president's Aurus heads straight to the heart of New Delhi - the government quarter.

Here we saw Vladimir Putin's motorcade pulling up to the Hyderabad Palace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was already waiting for him on the porch. This was the first meeting in two years.

The Indian prime minister was wearing a kurta, the traditional wool vest. The leaders greeted each other and walked out together to a specially prepared spot on the palace lawn so that the handshake could be captured by all from the best possible angle.

The focus of the leaders was to develop a mutually beneficial partnership further. The pandemic hit the trade turnover, but after that instead of recession, the growth was 38%, and in the first 9 months the figure was almost 9 billion dollars. The goal was to bring the volume of trade to 30 billion in the near future.

The Central Bank of Russia and the Reserve Bank of India signed a cooperation agreement to fight cyber-attacks. Also, relevant agencies signed a number of agreements in the sphere of education and memoranda of cooperation on intellectual property and on geological exploration and prospecting.

The signed documents included a roadmap for cooperation in science, technology and innovation; a programme of cultural exchanges for 2021–2024; a protocol on the organisation of culture festivals between the Russian Federation and the Republic of India in 2022–2023; as well as documents amending the intergovernmental agreement on merchant shipping of December 23, 1994, and concerning Russian oil supplies in 2022.

Vladimir Putin held talks with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in New Delhi. At the beginning of Russian-Indian talks Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi said: ‘Your Excellency, my dear friend, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, I would like to welcome you to the annual bilateral summit in New Delhi. I would also like to welcome all members of the Russian Federation delegation.

I know that this is only your second visit abroad for almost two years. This shows your personal commitment to our relations. You are visiting India despite all the pandemic difficulties and this shows your love for India.

Your Excellency, 2021 is important for our strategic partnership as well. The first meeting of foreign ministers and defence ministers in the ‘2+2‘ format took place today and thus launched one more mechanism to strengthen practical cooperation.

In the economy, we have adopted a long-term vision to reinforce our relationship. Our goal is to increase mutual trade to US$30 billion by 2025 and to increase mutual investment to US$50 billion. To do so, we must issue the proper assignments to our respective business communities.

The various agreements that were concluded today will help us expand cooperation as well. Our defence cooperation is being strengthened through joint development and production efforts under the Made in India programme. Cooperation in space and civilian nuclear energy is expanding as well.

India and Russia have similar positions on many regional and global issues. We will have the opportunity to exchange views on these matters during today’s meeting.’

President of Russia Vladimir Putin said: ‘Prime Minister, my friend. It is an honour and a privilege for me to visit friendly India once again. We regularly hold summits at the highest level, in fact, they take place every year, with India and Russia taking turns in hosting them. Unfortunately, we had to skip last year due to the pandemic. Still, it is our turn to come to India, and I thank you for your invitation.

Russia views India as a major power, whose people have been very friendly to us. Our relations proceed from a very positive foundation. They are developing and forward-looking.

In 2020, trade between our countries decreased by more than 17 percent, but in the first nine months of 2021 it grew by over 38 percent. There is no doubt that we have every opportunity to reach the trade volumes you have mentioned.

This also applies to investment, which currently stands at US$38 billion and is more or less equally distributed between the two countries, with Russia having a slightly larger share. That said, we have been working together in very important and promising areas, including energy, high technology, and space. I am certain that the programmes you have mentioned will be carried out, including the one to train an Indian cosmonaut.

We have been promoting military-technical cooperation like with no other partner of ours. Together, we develop and manufacture high-technology military products, including in India.’