National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. Doval, who arrived in Moscow on Wednesday to hold crucial talks on bilateral energy and defence ties,
said earlier thatPutin will visit India later this year.
The Indian NSA’s meeting with Putin assumes significance as US President Donald Trump continued to target New Delhi over the purchase of Russian oil. Trump has issued a stern ultimatum to President Putin to end the war in Ukraine, warning that Moscow will face even harsher US sanctions if the aggression continues. Moreover, Putin has expressed willingness to have a meeting with Trump and suggested that the UAE could host the summit.
Even though Doval has confirmed Putin’s visit to New Delhi, his schedule still remains unclear. This would be Putin’s first visit to India since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“You have very rightly mentioned that we have a very special relationship, long relationship, and we highly value our strategic partnership. We have had high-level engagements and these high-level engagements have contributed very substantially. We are very excited and delighted to learn about the visit of President Putin to India. I think that the dates are almost finalised now,” NSA Doval said.
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Earlier in the day, Doval held a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, who said that the two countries are linked by “strong, time-tested ties of friendship.”
It is important for Moscow and New Delhi to determine the timing of new full-scale negotiations between President Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shoigu said at the meeting with Doval.
Russia and India are linked by “strong, time-tested ties of friendship,” Shoigu said, adding that both countries are committed to jointly combat modern challenges and threats.
“For Moscow, the most important thing is to comprehensively strengthen the special privileged strategic partnership with India, which is based on mutual respect, trust, equal consideration of each other’s interests, and the desire to promote a unifying agenda,” he said.
(with inputs from agencies)
