Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Moscow on July 8 and 9 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the government said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Modi has not visited Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
“The two leaders will review the multifaceted relationship between the two countries in its entirety and exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest,” Modi’s office said.
India and Russia usually hold bilateral summits every year but these were cancelled for the past three years, first due to the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan and then President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Indian Prime Minister will also fly from Moscow to Austria to meet President Alexander van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer. This will be the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Austria in 41 years.
Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
Modi’s agenda in Moscow also includes addressing the surging trade imbalance with Russia, which is set to exceed $60 billion by 2023. Indian External Affairs Minister Vinay Kwatra Said India said on Friday it wants to “correct” the imbalance created by importing huge amounts of Russian oil by boosting exports including agricultural products, pharmaceuticals and high technology.
India Now purchase About 40% of India’s crude oil comes from Russia, which sells it at a discount due to Western sanctions. India’s next three largest suppliers are Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Russia exports more crude oil to India than those three countries combined.
As China’s demand for Russian crude has fallen as its economy has slowed, Russia has offered India better prices to make up for the shortfall, which India has accepted. Nayara Energy, one of India’s largest oil refiners, is part-owned by Russia’s state-run energy conglomerate Rosneft, making the deal a sweet spot for Russia.
Kwatra dismissed the notion that the G7 countries might object to India trying to weaken sanctions against Russia by increasing imports.
“We have been in very regular contact with the G7, essentially, to protect and advance our national interests and our national needs,” the foreign minister said.
Kwatra said Modi would also like to discuss the fate of Indian citizens who were “tricked” into joining Russian forces in fighting in Ukraine, leaving at least four people dead.
Several Indian families Complained Indian police complained to Prime Minister Modi in March that her husband, son and brother had been coerced into joining the Russian military under the guise of high-paying private jobs in Dubai. arrested Four people allegedly involved in human trafficking in June.
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Said Trump on Thursday complained to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow over the conscription of Indian nationals.
“We will know the full story only when they return. But whatever the situation may be, it is not acceptable to us that Indian nationals are serving in the armed forces of another country on the battlefield,” Jaishankar said.
India still refuses to condemn Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine. Said Rostec said on Thursday it was looking into the possibility of setting up a factory in India to produce shells for Russia’s T-72 and T-90 tanks, which are also used by the Indian Army, and said it might also produce gunpowder in India.
Western leaders complained that Modi’s visit to Moscow would give Putin a much-needed diplomatic win at a time when the West is trying to isolate him and increase pressure on him to end the Ukraine war. NATO Meeting He visited Washington to discuss the war in Ukraine, adding to the symbolism of PM Modi’s visit.
“A visit by the leader of a country like India shows that Russia is not isolated internationally, and this is very important for the Kremlin,” said Alexei Zakharov, a Moscow-based India expert. Said Bloomberg News.
India’s cancellation of summit talks with Russia after the coronavirus panic subsided was widely seen as an implicit expression of displeasure over the Ukraine conflict, so the resumption of the talks can only be seen as India swallowing its discomfort in order to retain Russian oil supplies.
Indian officials said it was unlikely that any “landmark agreements” would be announced during Modi’s visit, describing the trip as merely a resumption of regular bilateral talks that had been held for years before the pandemic. The Biden administration does not appear to be willing to jeopardize the strengthening U.S.-India ties by pressuring Modi to cancel his Moscow visit.
India also appears concerned about Russia’s growing ties with China, India’s regional rival, and Modi seems determined to counter the impression that Russia is becoming increasingly reliant on China as India drifts into NATO’s sphere of influence, perhaps by reducing arms purchases from Russia and increasing those from the United States and Europe.
“India’s aim is to prevent Russia from taking China’s side and maintain permanent neutrality in the India-China territorial dispute even if Russia does not explicitly support India,” Zakharov said.
