PM Modi to Visit Russia in July to Meet President Putin

India and Russia are making arrangements for an upcoming visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia, which is expected to take place in July. This information was reported by a Russian state news agency.

According to a diplomatic source, the visit will include a meeting between PM Modi and President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin had previously announced in March that Modi had an outstanding invitation to visit Russia.

President Putin was sworn in for his fifth consecutive term in May, while PM Modi took the oath for his third consecutive term on June 9. The Russian President congratulated Modi on the success of his party in the recent elections.

If the visit occurs, it will be PM Modi’s first trip to Russia since 2019 and the first since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. President Putin last visited India in 2021 for the annual India-Russia Summit, which has not been held in the past two years.

PM Modi last met Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan in September 2022, where he urged Putin to follow the path of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

Despite growing ties with the US and other Western countries, India has not publicly criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has increased its purchase of Russian crude oil to control domestic prices. However, India continues to advocate for a cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy to find a lasting solution to the Ukraine conflict.