Russia’s Putin plans India trip, defying US-led efforts to isolate him

As he prepares for his first visit to India since the Ukraine invasion, Russia’s president signals growing confidence in travelling abroad

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Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at last month’s Brics summit. Photo: AP

Published: 1:16pm, 20 Nov 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit India for the first time since he ordered the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a further sign of that US-led efforts to isolate him on the world stage are failing.

While dates are still being worked out for the trip to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “we are looking forward to it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in video comments to India’s ANI news service published on Tuesday that he later confirmed.

“After two visits of Prime Minister Modi to Russia, now we have a visit of President Putin to India,” Peskov said. “We attach a very great importance to these contacts.”

India and Russia held annual summits between the two leaders before the invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi skipped the in-person meeting in December 2022 after Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons in the war, according to people with knowledge of the matter at that time.

India’s Narendra Modi embraces Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Brics summit in Kazan last month. Photo: EPA-EFE

Putin and Modi held talks when Russia hosted the summit of Brics states last month. The Indian leader also met Putin in Moscow in July on his first trip to Russia since the war began, and his first bilateral visit after winning a third term in Indian elections.