New Delhi : As Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in India for his high-profile two-day visit, experts say the meeting carries major economic and strategic implications for both countries, with the opening of the Russian market to Indian exporters emerging as a key priority.
Speaking on the significance of the visit, Lydia Kulik, Head of India Studies at the Moscow School of Management, said the renewed engagement is crucial at a time when India and Russia are charting fresh agendas in a changing global environment.
"This visit is very important, as it is happening after quite some time, and it's picking up from the visit of PM Modi to Russia in 2024 when the two countries set new agendas in the new environment," Kulik said. Calling the visit "both symbolic and a spectacle", she added that India and Russia are looking "very positively" at their future cooperation.
"The priority at the moment is to open the Russian market for Indian exporters. Besides trade and economy, there is going to be political discussions, new deals in defence and military cooperation, and a frank exchange of opinions about the current situation in the world," she added.
Echoing similar views, Shishir Priyadarshi, President of the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF), said Putin's visit comes at a sensitive time for India's global economic positioning. "This is an extremely critical time for India in terms of global economic relations, and in that context, President Putin's visit assumes greater significance," Priyadarshi said.
"India and Russia have had very close all-weather relations for the last 70 years. Russia has its own problems with Europe and faces sanctions; India is also facing significant pressure over its association with Russia. As far as defence and energy are concerned, we are strongly correlated to each other. There's a need to balance the trade deficit and turn defence imports into defence manufacturing in India," he added.
During her address at a CRF-organised session, Kulik further described the India-Russia partnership as "exemplary, predictable, and stable," noting that it has "withstood the uncertainties posed by global incidents in the past couple of years."
The event brought together experts from government, academia, strategic affairs, industry, media and the private sector to discuss multiple dimensions of a partnership often described as historically resilient and adaptable.
Earlier, in welcoming participants, Priyadarshi highlighted that India and Russia share a friendship rooted in more than diplomatic tradition, noting that both countries have a partnership defined not only by statecraft but also by mutual respect, strategic convergence, and consistent recognition of each other's core interests.
Putin, on his first visit to India in 4 years, will be in New Delhi until December 5. During his visit, the Russian President will also hold the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with PM Modi. He arrived in the national capital on Thursday and was personally received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport. This is also Putin's first visit here since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022.