India Rolls Out Red Carpet for Putin Amid Global Pressure

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India is set to strengthen its economic, defence, and technology ties with Russia as President Vladimir Putin arrives in Delhi for a crucial summit. This is Putin's first visit to India in four years, and the first since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. The summit, which will be closely watched in the US and Europe, will focus on bolstering cooperation in civil nuclear energy, defence, and trade, amidst intense geopolitical tensions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally received Putin at the airport, reflecting the importance attached by New Delhi to the visit. The two leaders will hold wide-ranging discussions on Friday at Hyderabad House, and are expected to sign several agreements to boost cooperation in areas ranging from trade to energy and academia. The visit is an opportunity for India to reassert its strategic autonomy by reinvigorating its defence and trade partnerships with Russia. India has faced pressure from the US to reduce Russian oil and military hardware purchases, but the two leaders have spoken on the phone five times this year. The agenda for the summit includes measures to insulate bilateral trade from US pressure and sanctions, cooperation in small modular reactors in the field of nuclear energy, and deepening of the extensive defence cooperation. Russia's state-run Rosatom agency has delivered the first consignment of nuclear fuel for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. Ahead of the summit, defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart co-chaired a meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation. Indian officials said a mobility agreement to facilitate Indian skilled and semi-skilled workers to join Russia's labour market and steps to diversify the trade basket will also be on the agenda. The visit is taking place against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in India-US ties over trade-related matters, including a 25% punitive tariff slapped on Indian goods. The European Union is also closely following the visit, and is expected to hold its own summit with India in January, leading to the conclusion of a free trade agreement and measures to deepen the defence and security partnership between India and the EU.