Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit India this week for the first time since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a rare trip that underscores the countries’ defence and energy ties as New Delhi seeks to finalise a trade deal with Washington. 

The Russian leader is eager to show that Moscow still has strong relationships that matter beyond the West – and large markets it can trade with.

For India, whose close economic and political ties with Russia date back to the Soviet period, the visit comes as sanctions and US pressure curb an energy trade that has been expedient for its economy and vital for Russia. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s continued ability to chart out an independent geopolitical path.

“As the US under Trump has become more isolationist and transactional, and relations with China remain poor, India is ensuring that its ties with middle powers like Russia – or Japan, UAE and the EU – are deepened,” said Mr Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, head of Eurasia Group’s South Asia practice. “It helps India that President Trump has already ended Putin’s pariah status by holding his Alaska Summit.”

Both sides have formally framed the visit around trade, though deeper questions remain over energy and defense – two areas that have put India in the crosshairs of Mr Trump.

The US leader has doubled India’s tariffs to 50 per cent to punish the country for buying oil from Russia, and has pressured New Delhi to buy more American arms. Mr Modi’s government is in talks with the Trump administration over trade and close to a deal – a goal that could prove more distant after a show of closer India-Russia ties. 

Mr Putin’s visit comes against the backdrop of his talks on Dec 2 with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law, on a new peace plan that Washington is pushing hard for Russia and Ukraine to accept.

India has maintained a cautious position in relation to the war in Ukraine, calling for a halt to fighting, while also refusing t...