Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to New Delhi from December 4 to 5 marks a defining moment in India’s diplomatic calendar and one of the most closely watched geopolitical engagements of 2025. Four years after his last presence in India and nearly three years into the Ukraine war the Russian president arrives not merely to participate in ceremonial engagements but to recalibrate Moscow’s global standing and India’s strategic room for manoeuvre in a world fractured by prolonged conflicts, sanctions pressure, and competing power axes.

For New Delhi, the visit comes at a time when it needs to stabilise its energy security, preserve defence choices, and counter the widening trust deficit with Washington. Behind the scenes, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has already described the trip as “extremely grand” and “fruitful in every sense,” underscoring Moscow’s intention to shape headlines beyond symbolism and use the visit for substantive geopolitical messaging.

Why the Visit Matters to New Delhi

At the core of the summit is the reaffirmation of the “privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia. But beyond diplomatic vocabulary, the conversation reflects deeper strategic necessity. Russia seeks to ensure that India remains a long-term partner amid tightening Western sanctions, while India must secure national interests independent of fluctuating great-power moods. The visit will generate outcomes that go beyond symbolic optics — sending calibrated signals to Washington, Beijing, and European capitals about India’s independent strategic agency. It also restores momentum to the tradition of annual leadership-level reviews between the prime minister of India and the Russian president, signalling continuity even in the face of global disorder.

Energy Security: The Backbone of the Relationship

The first and most consequential benefit to India lies in energy access. With Russian crude now supplying around 35 percent of India’s total oil imports, discounted oil has helped India moderate inflation and protect foreign-exchange reserves since 2022. The bilateral trade surge — from $13.1 billion in FY 2021–22 to $68.7 billion in FY 2024–25 — has been driven almost entirely by energy flows. However, recent US secondary sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil have already forced Indian refiners to cut December purchases to their........

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