PM Modi may visit Russia in July in first visit since Ukraine war: Report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Russia next month and hold a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported quoting a Kremlin official.

PM Modi’s visit, if it goes according to plan, will be the first since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It will also be his first visit to Russia after securing a historic third consecutive term.

India has not directly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

An official in Russia’s Foreign Affairs department said PM Modi’s visit was being prepared. India, however, has not spoken about PM Modi’s visit to Russia.

In March, Russia said that PM Modi had an open invitation to come to the country.

PM Modi last visited Russia in 2019 for an economic forum in Vladivostok. The Prime Minister’s last Moscow visit was in 2015.

The ties between the two nations have been on an upswing since 2022 and India has become a key trade partner of Russia. India has become one of the key buyers of Russian oil following sanctions by the West over the Ukraine war.

In fact, as per the government data, India’s crude imports from Russia have risen from $2.47 billion in FY22 to $46.49 billion in FY24. India’s top imports from Russia include crude oil and petroleum products.

Last year, in December, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, held talks with Putin during his five-day visit to Moscow.

During Jaishankar’s visit, three documents relating to the Kudankulam nuclear power plants, an MoU on cooperation in pharmaceuticals and healthcare and a protocol on Foreign Office consultations were signed.