There was a hug and a selfie in a limousine ride after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally picked up Russian President Vladimir Putin on arrival in New Delhi. Devotional lamps spelt out “Welcome Putin” during an evening prayer at the Ganges River. The visit included an honor guard and a brass band.
India warmly welcomed Putin on his first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago. The trip signaled, in part, New Delhi’s willingness to maintain its relationship with Moscow despite pressure from the Trump administration, which has punished India for its purchases of Russian oil.
“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 independent foreign policy traces back to close ties with the Soviet Union, formed amid regional pressures: Pakistan’s alignment with the U.S. and a disputed 2,000-mile border with China. Those historical ties underpin today’s relationship with Russia.
The two-day visit brought extra attention to Putin, whose movements have been constrained since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023. “To visit the world’s largest democracy and a large country like India, will bring him enormous global attention in that sense,” said analyst Swaran Singh.
After a bilateral meeting, both sides announced a deal to allow more Indian nationals 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 after the Ukraine invasion and is now one of the world’s biggest buyers, even selling some Russian oil products onward. But Indian firms have recently curtailed purchases after the Trump administration doubled tariffs on Indian imports to 50% and U.S. sanctions targeted Kremlin-linked Russian oil producers.
Reliance Industries, India’s largest importer of Russian crude, reportedly stopped buying Russian crude for products destined for export to comply with a new European Union ban on refined products of Russian origin from some third countries, including India.
How Russia might maintain “uninterrupted” shipments amid sanctions and tariffs is unclear. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air has documented increased sanctions-avoiding behavior by vessels — including flying false flags to conceal operations. India has called pressure to cut Russian oil purchases “unreasonable,” noting that the EU and U.S. also buy Russian energy.
At the same time, India has stepped up purchases of U.S. oil and natural gas — moves some analysts see as a concession to Washington — and sought more U.S. energy to narrow its trade deficit. “India is navigating a difficult path,” said Bajpaee. “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” and welcomed efforts toward a peaceful, lasting resolution, saying India “has always been, and will always be ready to contribute.” It was unclear whether he was referring to the Trump administration’s active diplomacy; Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Putin for five hours this week. Putin told India Today he “can’t agree to” some U.S. proposals but gave few details.
During the visit, Russia and India signed agreements, including one to facilitate more Indian workers in Russia. Leaders vowed to push bilateral trade toward $100 billion, though current trade is largely one-way, dominated by Indian purchases of Russian fossil fuels.
Bajpaee said the U.S. remains a more forward-looking and strategically important partner for India, but New Delhi does not want to sever ties with Moscow under Western pressure. “Russia remains a key strategic partner,” he said, while suggesting the relationship may be on “a managed decline.” He noted that despite tensions with Washington, India maintains strong functional links with the U.S., conducting more joint military exercises with the U.S. than any other country — five exercises this year alone.
From New Delhi’s perspective, recent developments have also shown that in some ways Russia can appear more reliable than the U.S., which India perceives as at times fickle and unpredictable, Bajpaee added.