Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi on 4 December for his first visit to India since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, marking the resumption of annual summits that were disrupted when the war began. The 30-hour trip includes a private dinner with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a meeting at the presidential palace, and discussions with business leaders, including executives from sanctioned Russian oil firms Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.
The summit comes as India navigates competing pressures from Washington and Moscow. The US has imposed tariffs on Indian exports over New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil, while India seeks to maintain its decades-long defense partnership with Russia—a balancing act that has grown more complex as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its fourth year.
India-Russia defense ties remain deep despite Western pressure
Russia remains India's largest defense supplier, accounting for roughly 36% of arms imports and more than 60% of India's existing military arsenal, Al Jazeera reported. While import numbers have declined from 72% in 2010 as India diversifies toward US and European suppliers, experts say Russia's position as India's pre-eminent defense partner will remain unchallenged for years.
The Russian S-400 missile defense system proved central to India's air defenses during its four-day air war with Pakistan in May 2025. India's air force chief, Marshal AP Singh, called the S-400 "a game changer," Al Jazeera reported. New Delhi now seeks additional S-400 systems.
Russia, meanwhile, is pushing sales of its Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets. "The SU-57 is the best plane in the world," Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the summit, suggesting it would be on the agenda.
Yet Russia's S-400 stocks are running thin. Ukrainian drone strikes have destroyed at least 18 S-400 launchers in Crimea since February 2022, and Moscow is reportedly postponing S-400 deliveries to India until 2026-2027 due to equipment shortages.
Oil trade under strain from US sanctions
India became the second-largest buyer of Russian crude after Moscow's 2022 invasion—a staggering 2,250% increase in imports, with Russia's share jumping from 1% to 40% of India's oil purchases, according to Al Jazeera.
But Trump's October sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil have disrupted this arrangement. Indian refiners, including state giants Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petroleum, paused purchases of Russian crude to avoid exclusion from the dollar-based financial system. Russia now offers Urals crude at $7-per-barrel discounts—more than double previous levels—desperate to maintain buyers.
India's largest private refiner, Reliance, has said it will no longer export petroleum products made from Russian crude. Indian imports of Russian oil are expected to fall to a three-year low.
India pushes back on US pressure over Russia ties
Kanwal Sibal, former Indian foreign secretary and ex-ambassador to Russia, told Al Jazeera that Trump and the US were employing "double standards."
"Trump can roll out a red carpet for Putin in Alaska. Why should India not build on its ties with Russia then?" Sibal said.
In August, the US hosted Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska—a summit that drew protests from locals who held signs reading "Putin won't stop at Ukraine" and called him a "war criminal on US soil." Critics noted Trump capitulated on sanctions threats while pressuring allies instead.
India has accused Washington of hypocrisy, noting that EU-Russia trade reached €67.5 billion in goods in 2024, and that the US continues importing Russian uranium and palladium.
What's at stake for Ukraine
For Ukraine, India's continued engagement with Russia complicates Western efforts to isolate Moscow economically. Oil and gas revenues account for roughly 30% of Russia's federal budget—money that funds missiles and drones that strike Ukrainian cities.
India-Russia bilateral trade ballooned from $10 billion before the all-out war on Ukraine to nearly $69 billion this year, mostly fueled by discounted Russian crude, Al Jazeera reported. India runs a $64 billion trade deficit with Russia—nearly all of it oil.
Praveen Donthi, senior analyst for India at Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera the summit "offers an opportunity for both sides to reaffirm their special relationship amidst intense pressure on India from President Trump with punitive tariffs."
For Putin, the visit delivers propaganda value. "President Putin can send a very strong message to his own people, and also to the international community, that Russia is not isolated in the world," said Rajan Kumar, professor of international studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
