The Kremlin verified on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India in December, as Moscow and New Delhi bond more strongly in the face of increasing U.S. pressure. Putin will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday at a regional summit in China to plan for “preparation for the December visit”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
The Kremlin announcement came just days after the United States announced tariffs on Indian goods from U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. officials described the tariffs as a response to India’s continued purchases of Russian oil, which represents a significant source of revenue for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine’s Western allies have attempted to cut Russia’s export revenues. However, since then, Moscow’s energy exports have been redirected to countries such as India and China, so that the inlet of funds to the state coffers has continued.
New Delhi has defended its oil imports from Moscow, asserting that there was no option for India but to purchase from Russia given that “traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the onset of the conflict”. Russia is one of India’s biggest arms suppliers and the two countries have a long history of engagement since the Soviet Union.
Putin has done very little travel overseas since the war began, particularly following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuance of an arrest warrant against him. However, India has not signed on to the ICC, so it has no obligation to detain him.
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