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As anticipation builds to the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India on December 4 and 5, world leaders are watching developments keenly.
With a firm peace deal between Russia and Ukraine still elusive, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann believes that Putin's visit is an opportunity for India to send a message of peace to the Russian President. "We will follow that visit closely. It is clear that India has different relations with Russia than the European partners have... We should not forget that Russia is leading a war, a war that Russia has started. Indian Prime Minister said on the record- this is not an era of war, this war will not be won on the battlefield. I trust that he will also mention that when he is here," Acermann said. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump remains confident that a peace deal to end the conflict will be reached soon. On Sunday, a senior Ukrainian delegation held talks with officials in Florida "They [talks between US and Ukrainian officials] are going along well. We want to stop people from being killed. This doesn't have much to do with us, but I'd like to see we can save a lot of souls. Last month, we had 27,000 people killed in the ridiculous war that never should have happened," Trump said while talking to reporters onboard Air Force One. Earlier, the Russian MFA (Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation) said that Vladimir Putin's visit to India from December 4 to 5 offers an opportunity to review the entire spectrum of the strategic partnership of the two nations, ranging from politics to science to humanitarian cooperation. "On December 4-5, President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Mod. This visit carries significant importance, offering an opportunity to review the entire spectrum of the Russia-India special and privileged strategic partnership - from politics, trade and the economy to science, technology, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation," it said. Current international and regional issues will also feature prominently in the talks with the Indian delegation led by Prime Minister Modi. Putin will attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit and hold talks with PM Modi, according to an official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday. The President of India will also receive Putin and host a banquet in his honour. The visit will provide an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to review progress in bilateral relations, outline the vision for strengthening the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership', and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the MEA statement said. The upcoming visit will mark Putin's first to India since 2021. The two leaders last met in person on September 1 this year in Tianjin, China, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. Kremlin has described Putin's upcoming visit to India as an important moment for both nations. Russian state news agency TASS cited a Kremlin statement, "The visit is of great importance, providing an opportunity to comprehensively discuss the extensive agenda of Russian-Indian relations within the particularly privileged strategic partnership in the political, trade, economic, scientific, technological, cultural, and humanitarian spheres, as well as to consider topical international and regional issues." "These issues will be at the heart of negotiations with the Indian delegation led by [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi," the Kremlin said as per TASS. Building on this announcement, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that preparations for the annual summit are already underway, with Putin's arrival aligning with the state visit outlined by the MEA. (ANI)
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