Russia preparing for President Putin’s visit to India later this year: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday said that Moscow is preparing for President Vladimir Putin’s official visit to India, scheduled for later this year.

Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Lavrov said the visit is likely to take place in December and will focus on a wide-ranging bilateral agenda.

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“In December, a visit from President Putin is being planned to New Delhi. We have a very extensive bilateral agenda—trade, military-technical cooperation, finance, humanitarian matters, healthcare, high-tech, artificial intelligence, and, of course, close coordination at the international level within the SCO, BRICS, and bilaterally,” Lavrov stated.

He also informed about the diplomatic exchanges that will continue at the ministerial level, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expected to visit Moscow this year, while Lavrov will travel to India.

“My colleague Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, with whom I spoke yesterday, will visit Russia this year, and I will travel to India. We hold regular exchanges,” he said.

Lavrov’s remarks come at a time of rising friction between New Delhi and Washington over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil despite Western sanctions. The US administration under President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on Indian goods to pressure New Delhi to reduce energy imports from Moscow as part of its broader campaign against Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Lavrov defended India’s right to pursue independent economic and strategic policies, stressing that Moscow does not meddle in New Delhi’s sovereign decisions.

“I don’t even ask our Indian colleagues what is going to happen to our trade relations or our oil cooperation. They are perfectly capable of making these decisions for themselves,” he said.

Asserting that the economic partnership between India and Russia is “not under threat”, the Russian Foreign Minister also praised India’s stand on global issues, saying it reflects the country’s “self-respect.”

Referring to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s earlier comments on India’s energy strategy, Lavrov recalled:“Publicly, my friend (Jaishankar), when asked a similar question, said: ‘If the US wants to sell oil to us, we are ready to discuss the terms. But what we buy from Russia or other countries is our own business. It has nothing to do with the India-US agenda.’ I believe that is a very worthy response, showing that India, like Turkey, has self-respect.”

Russia continues to be one of India’s main defence suppliers, with ties stretching back to the Soviet era. Lavrov underlined that the bilateral relationship is defined by its “particularly privileged strategic partnership”, which extends well beyond the scope of US–India dynamics.

Moreover, Lavrov underscored the longstanding strategic partnership between India and Russia, which has been further upgraded to a “particularly privileged strategic partnership.”

He stressed that the relationship extends beyond the influence of US-India dynamics and highlighted recent high-level meetings, including the recent gathering of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin at the SCO summit in China. Lavrov also reiterated Russia’s endorsement of India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

“Russia supports the applications of Brazil and India for permanent membership,” he said, emphasising the urgent need for UNSC reform to reflect current geopolitical realities.