“To be honest, I am also looking forward to this trip to India in early December,” Putin said.
File Photo: IANS
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is looking forward to his visit to India in early December and awaits his meeting with his “dear friend and Russia’s trustworthy partner” Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“To be honest, I am also looking forward to this trip to India in early December,” Putin said.
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Speaking at the 2025 Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi on Thursday, he praised PM Modi as a “balanced and wise leader” who makes decisions based on the interests of his country.
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He underlined the “special nature” of Moscow–New Delhi relations, emphasizing that the two nations have “never had any interstate disputes”.
“Our relations with India have been of a special nature since the days of the Soviet Union, when the Indian people fought for their independence. We have never had any problems or any kind of interstate friction with India,” he said, adding that the two countries also enjoy a “trusting relationship” in the defense sector.
On India’s decision to continue importing Russian crude oil, Putin stressed that it was “purely an economic calculation” with no political angle.
“That is purely an economic calculation. There is no political aspect here. If India refuses our energy supplies, it will suffer certain losses. Of course, the people of a country like India, believe me, will closely monitor the decisions made by the political leadership and will never allow any humiliation in front of anyone. And I know Prime Minister Modi — he himself would never take any steps of this kind,” he said, while slamming the United States for trying to pressure India to halt its imports of Russian crude and asserting that New Delhi would never yield to such demands.
Taking exception to the Trump administration’s decision to impose additional tariffs, he said, “The losses faced by India due to punitive US tariffs would be balanced by crude imports from Russia, and it will also gain prestige as a sovereign nation.
“Estimates vary; some say it could be around USD 9–10 billion. But if it doesn’t refuse, sanctions will be imposed, and the loss will be the same. So why refuse if it also carries domestic political costs?” Putin said, adding that PM Modi is a “nationally oriented leader.”
Russia and India are also coordinating their positions in the international arena, and their foreign ministries are working very closely together, he added.
Stressing that the current trade turnover between the two countries has not reached its full potential, he said, “We have a turnover of about USD 63 billion with India. This clearly does not correspond to our potential capabilities,” adding that although there are trade imbalances, both countries are working to address them.
To boost mutual trade, Russia and India need to resolve issues related to logistics and payments, he said, adding that opportunities to do so exist.
Putin’s remarks come two weeks after US President Donald Trump, during his address at the United Nations General Assembly, called China and India the “primary funders” of the Ukraine war, accusing them of financing it by continuing to buy Russian oil. The US has imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India as punishment for buying Russian oil, raising the total tax on Indian exports to 50 per cent.
He highlighted the deep trust between the two countries, which has helped navigate the relationship to include the joint production of advanced weapons systems – a reflection of their robust and time-tested partnership.
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