When President Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi today for a State visit and the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, he will be reaffirming one of the world’s most durable major partnerships. Few relationships have demonstrated the steadiness, trust and long-term strategic alignment that characterise India-Russia ties. At a time when global politics is marked by fracturing alignments and divisive sanctions regimes, the visit reinforces a legacy of friendship while recasting the partnership for what lies ahead.

At the core of this relationship lies the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, a mutually chosen designation that differentiates from all other strategic partnerships and is unique to our two countries. It has been strengthened by a quarter century of annual summits. One thread that traverses the turbulence of contemporary geopolitics has been the regular, candid, high-level dialogue between us. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin have met over the last couple of years in Moscow, Kazan and Tianjin, and held multiple, discreet phone conversations on issues ranging from regional security to the Pahalgam terror attack. Ministerial and NSA-level engagements have been equally active.

Economic cooperation continues to expand. Bilateral trade reached $68.7 billion in FY 2024–25, driven largely by India’s energy imports. While India’s exports remain just under $5 billion,........

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