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On Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to India, Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov said preparations were progressing "very intensively" with a "comprehensive agenda" that includes economy and defence. "We are looking forward to a very productive visit of the Russian President to India later this year," Alipov said.
According to sources, India and Russia are finalising the dates for Putin's visit, which is expected to take place in early December. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also likely to visit India ahead of the summit to discuss bilateral matters and finalise agreements. The visit, announced earlier by the Kremlin, is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in trade, defence, energy, and emerging technologies. Lavrov, speaking at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, confirmed that President Putin's visit is planned for December, reflecting ongoing diplomatic coordination between New Delhi and Moscow. Putin's India visit assumes significance as it comes at a time when US President Donald Trump once again criticised India for purchasing Russian oil on Wednesday. Washington had also imposed tariffs on Indian goods following its continued energy trade with Moscow. Responding to questions about oil imports, Ambassador Alipov said India's decisions on energy sourcing are driven by its national interests. "The Indian government is having in mind the national interest of this country in the first place, and our cooperation in energy is very much in tune with those interests," he said. His remarks followed comments by President Trump, who claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, a statement that New Delhi later clarified. Responding to ANI's question on whether he viewed India as a reliable partner, Trump said, "Yeah, sure. He's (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship...I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big stop. Now we've got to get China to do the same thing..." The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed India's independent energy policy, stating that its import decisions are guided by the need to protect Indian consumers in a volatile global market. "India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing," he added. (ANI)
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