MUMBAI, India — Russian President Vladimir Putin received a warm, ceremonial welcome when he arrived in New Delhi for a two-day state visit, including a hug and a limousine selfie with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, devotional lamps spelling out “Welcome Putin” during an evening Ganges prayer, an honor guard and a brass band.
The visit — Putin’s first to India since Moscow invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago — signaled New Delhi’s determination to preserve its long-standing relationship with Moscow despite mounting international pressure. “The message first and foremost is that India has options,” said Chietigj Bajpaee, senior research fellow for South Asia at Chatham House. “It is an effort to reaffirm the India‑Russia relationship at a time when India has been under growing pressure to sever that relationship, or at least downgrade it in some ways.”
India’s ties with Russia date to the Soviet era, rooted in strategic concerns on its northern borders: Pakistan’s alignment with the U.S. and an opening between Washington and Beijing in the 1970s, while India and China continue to dispute more than 2,000 miles of Himalayan frontier. The New Delhi meetings were also politically significant for Putin, whose international travel has been constrained since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023. Swaran Singh noted that a visit to “the world’s largest democracy” brings Putin substantial global attention.
After their bilateral meeting, the leaders announced a deal to make it easier for more Indians to work in Russia. Putin said, via a translator, that Russia was “ready to continue uninterrupted shipments of fuel for the fast growing Indian economy.”
Russian oil has been central to the relationship. India ramped up purchases of Russian crude after the invasion and is now among the world’s biggest buyers, even re-exporting refined products. But in recent weeks Indian firms curtailed purchases in response to U.S. actions — notably the Trump administration’s punitive doubling of tariffs on some Indian goods to 50% — and sanctions on Kremlin-linked oil producers. Reliance Industries, India’s largest importer of Russian crude, stopped buying Russian oil for certain export-oriented refining products, in part to comply with a new European Union ban on some refined products derived from Russian crude.
How Russia might maintain “uninterrupted” fuel shipments amid sanctions and tariffs is unclear. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air has documented increased sanctions-avoidance at sea, including vessels flying fraudulent flags to conceal shipments. India has pushed back against pressure to cut Russian energy imports as “unreasonable,” noting that the EU and U.S. also buy Russian energy.
At the same time, India has been increasing purchases of U.S. oil and liquefied natural gas — moves some analysts view as gestures toward Washington and efforts to reduce the bilateral trade deficit. “India is navigating a difficult path,” Bajpaee said. “It’s trying to maintain close relations with Moscow and at the same time deepen engagement with the West.”
Modi’s prepared remarks acknowledged “the situation in Ukraine,” saying India welcomes efforts toward a peaceful and lasting resolution and is ready to contribute. It was not clear whether Modi was referring to U.S. mediation efforts; this week Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reportedly met Putin for five hours, but Putin told India Today he could not accept some of the administration’s proposals without elaborating.
Beyond energy and labor mobility, Russia and India signed agreements during the visit and reiterated a goal of boosting bilateral trade to $100 billion — though current trade remains largely one-way, driven by Indian imports of Russian fossil fuels.
Bajpaee emphasized that while Russia remains a key strategic partner, the longer-term trajectory may be toward a “managed decline” of that closeness as India deepens practical ties with the U.S. even amid political tensions. He noted that, despite recent strains with Washington, India conducts more joint military exercises with the U.S. than with any other country, undertaking five such exercises in the year. From New Delhi’s perspective, recent developments have sometimes made Russia appear a more reliable partner compared with what India sees as the U.S.’s unpredictable behavior.