Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to visit India on December 5-6 for the annual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, diplomatic officials said on Wednesday.
The visit, if confirmed, would be Putin's first to India since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The two leaders last met in person at the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024.
Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval discussed the visit during talks in Moscow last week, where dates were nearly finalized, according to officials from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The summit will cover defense cooperation, energy trade and the International North-South Transport Corridor.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Friday that Putin and Modi would prepare for the December trip during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China. "The agenda includes strengthening the strategic partnership," Ushakov said.
The visit follows U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of tariffs on Indian goods in August 2025 over New Delhi's purchases of discounted Russian oil. Bilateral trade reached $60 billion in 2024, with India defending the imports as replacing European supplies diverted after the Ukraine conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced in March 2025 that Putin would visit India later in the year. Putin accepted Modi's invitation during a May 2025 phone call, the Kremlin said.
The leaders are expected to sign agreements on S-400 air defense system deliveries, due in 2025, and aim to double trade to $100 billion by 2030, according to ministry officials.
Officials from the Indian government and Kremlin were not immediately available for further comment on final confirmation.