India's Prime Minister Modi will visit Russia, the Kremlin says
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the media as he arrives to attend the first day of the Parliament session of the 18th Lok Sabha in New Delhi, India, Monday, June 24, 2024. Credit: AP
MOSCOW — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Russia, the Kremlin announced Tuesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs aide, Yuri Ushakov, said that Modi’s visit was being prepared but didn’t announce a date, saying that it will be done jointly later.
Russia has had strong ties with India since the Cold War, and New Delhi’s importance as a key trade partner for Moscow has grown since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. China and India have become key buyers of Russian oil following sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies that shut most Western markets for Russian exports.
Under Modi’s leadership, India has avoided condemning Russia’s action in Ukraine while emphasizing the need for a peaceful settlement.
Modi’s visit follows his reelection for a third straight term. He last visited Russia in 2019 for an economic forum in the far eastern port of Vladivostok. He last traveled to Moscow in 2015.