Putin India Visit LIVE Updates: President Putin departs for Russia after concluding 2-day state visit to India

“India and Russia are working to establish a fair and just world order, based on the central role of UN,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin at state banquet at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for Russian President Vladimir Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan featured a meticulously curated menu.

Russian President Vladimir Putin departed Delhi on Friday, concluding his two-day State visit to India with External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar seeing him off at the airport.

Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves from the Rashtrapati Bhavan after attending the banquet hosted in his honour by President Droupadi Murmu.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was accorded a ceremonial welcome upon his arrival at Rashtrapati Bhavan to attend the banquet hosted in his honour by President Droupadi Murmu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said President Vladimir Putin’s visit will add fresh vigour to the India–Russia partnership.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a curated selection of Indian artisanal and cultural treasures during the latter’s two-day visit including fine Assam Black Tea, an ornate Murshidabad silver tea set, a handcrafted silver horse from Maharashtra, a marble chess set from Agra, premium Kashmiri saffron and a Russian-translated edition of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. Each gift highlighted India’s diverse craftsmanship, regional heritage and symbolic messaging, ranging from shared tea traditions and cultural artistry to themes of friendship valour and spiritual wisdom.

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India can certainly expand its footprint in the Russian market by stepping into businesses and sectors left open after the exit of some of the Western firms in the recent past, Roscongress Foundation CEO Alexander Stuglev said, expressing optimism in India’s ability to fill that space.

“Certainly, I do believe that Indian companies may be able to successfully replace (the space) that was made vacant by the Western companies who have left. (I am) very optimistic,” the CEO of Roscongress told in an interaction, during the ongoing two-day State Visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of Indian citizens being recruited into the Russian armed forces during his talks with President Vladimir Putin. Misri said efforts are underway to secure their early release and urged Indian nationals to avoid any offers to join the Russian military.

President Droupadi Murmu receives Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Rashtrapati Bhavan to attend the banquet hosted in his honour.

Russian President Vladimir Putin left the ITC Maurya hotel on Friday evening for Rashtrapati Bhavan, where President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in his honour as part of his two-day visit to India.

India and Russia have agreed to speed up talks on a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between New Delhi and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday. The decision came during high-level meetings held as Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded his first visit to India in four years.

Briefing reporters after the summit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said both countries also emphasised the need to expedite negotiations on a new Bilateral Investment Treaty.

Misri said that the discussions gave significant attention to the proposed FTA with the EAEU, which is expected to help reduce India’s trade deficit with the bloc.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the launch of RT India, said, “A lot of time has passed and India has changed dramatically… but what is left is friendship and mutual interest,” highlighting the enduring ties and shared interests between the two countries.

India has moved to further strengthen its ties with Russia by announcing free 30-day e-tourist visas and 30-day group tourist visas for Russian citizens. While addressing the joint press address with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this new visa facility for Russian travellers.

“I am happy that very soon we are going to introduce a free 30-day e-tourist visa and a 30-day group tourist visa for Russian citizens,” PM Modi said.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that India and Russia are working to promote bilateral trade using their national currencies with Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) already playing an effective role in facilitating trade flows. He added that a key objective of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit was to increase Indian exports to Russia, helping address the trade imbalance. Combining expanded currency-based settlements with greater export opportunities, Misri said, will advance the shared goal of a more balanced and sustainable bilateral trade relationship.

In the Joint Statement following the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, both countries emphasised the need for comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council to make it more representative, effective, and efficient in addressing global peace and security challenges. Russia reiterated its steadfast support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.

In the Joint statement following the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, both countries reaffirmed their strong commitment to preventing and countering terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorist movement, financing networks, and safe havens. They condemned the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, and at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on March 22, 2024, calling all acts of terrorism criminal and unjustifiable regardless of motivation. India and Russia also stressed the need for coordinated action against UN-listed terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda and ISIS/Daesh, to eliminate safe havens, curb the spread of extremist ideologies, halt terrorist financing, and prevent cross-border movement of terrorists and foreign fighters.

Following the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable manner including increasing India’s exports to Russia. The leaders highlighted strengthening industrial cooperation, forging new technological and investment partnerships in advanced high-tech areas, and exploring new avenues of cooperation. Both sides agreed to continue developing systems of bilateral settlements in national currencies to ensure uninterrupted trade. They also noted ongoing and potential collaboration between Indian and Russian companies in oil, petrochemicals, refining, oilfield services, LNG and LPG infrastructure, nuclear projects, underground coal gasification, and related infrastructure, while emphasising the need to resolve issues affecting energy sector investments.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held extensive talks at Hyderabad House during the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, reviewing all aspects of the deep-rooted and multifaceted bilateral relationship. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership and discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. They also witnessed the exchange of several documents, including MoUs on trade and commerce, migration and mobility, maritime cooperation, health and food safety, fertilizers, academic exchanges, media cooperation and people-to-people ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India is “emerging as the world’s skilled capital”, noting that young Indian talent can meet global requirements and play a key role in Russia’s demographic and economic priorities.

Speaking at the India–Russia Business Forum, he said training Indians in Russian language and soft skills can help build a “Russia-ready workforce”. Modi added that new decisions on tourist visas would boost bilateral tourism and business opportunities, as he urged Russian industry to join India on a “new journey of innovation, co-production and co-creation” and “make for the world”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India and Russia are “moving forward together on a new journey of co-innovation, co-production and co-creation”, stressing that the partnership aims beyond boosting bilateral trade to delivering solutions for global challenges. Urging Russian industry to deepen its presence in the Indian market, he said India is “fully prepared to walk shoulder to shoulder with Russia” and invited businesses to “Make in India” and “make for the world.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the past two days were “very productive and meaningful”, with every sector of bilateral cooperation represented in the discussions. Appreciating the suggestions and efforts of participants, Modi said both leaders had emphasised the need to realise the full potential of India–Russia connectivity and logistics initiatives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “I believe that President Putin has taken a major initiative by bringing such a large delegation to participate in the India–Russia Business Forum. I warmly welcome all of them.”.

PM Narendra Modi speaking at the India–Russia Business Forum, said, “Last year, President Putin and I had decided to cross the target of USD 100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. But after my discussions with President Putin yesterday, I feel we will not have to wait until 2030, we will achieve it earlier. Work is also underway to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers.”

At the India-Russia Business Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin says, “…Indeed, Russia and India are long-time trade partners. Trade volumes are growing at a sustainable pace. And over the past three years, we saw a record increase of up to 80%. As a result, last year, the Russian-Indian trade volume reached $64 billion. There are vast opportunities for further increase of bilateral trade and investment. Russia and India have big consumer markets…Once again, I would like to stress that under the leadership of His Excellency Modi, India is conducting absolutely independent and sovereign policy and at the same time achieves very good results in the economic field…”

Russia’s largest media holding Gazprom Media and India’s broadcasting corporation Prasar Bharati have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation and collaboration in broadcasting.

The agreement was signed by Gazprom Media CEO Alexander Zharov and Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi.

India and Russia on Friday firmed up a five-year plan to bolster economic and trade partnership in the face of Washington’s punitive tariff and sanctions regime even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to President Vladimir Putin that the war in Ukraine must be brought to an end through dialogue.

Following their summit talks, Modi and Putin unitedly demonstrated their keenness to impart a fresh momentum to the trajectory of the over eight-decades-old partnership between the two nations.

Besides finalising the 2030 economic programme, the two sides signed several agreements to expand cooperation in a number of sectors including health, mobility and people-to-people exchange.

Vision 2030 Strategic Roadmap: India and Russia signed a comprehensive programme outlining priority areas for long-term economic cooperation, including trade expansion, co-production, and co-innovation.

Boosting Bilateral Trade: Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to achieving $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. They also discussed progress on a proposed India–EAEU Free Trade Agreement and ways to increase Indian exports in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and consumer products.

Energy Partnership: Energy remains a core pillar of the partnership, covering civil nuclear collaboration, joint work on critical minerals, and President Putin’s assurance of uninterrupted energy supplies to India.

Counter-Terrorism Cooperation: PM Modi stressed that India and Russia stand “shoulder to shoulder” against terrorism, noting that attacks on both nations stem from common sources. He called for unified global action against terrorism.

Ukraine Conflict: PM Modi reiterated India’s consistent stance of being “on the side of peace” and advocating diplomacy. President Putin briefed him on Russia’s efforts toward a peaceful settlement and shared ongoing proposals.

Defence & High-Tech Collaboration: Discussions covered ongoing military ties and cooperation in space exploration, artificial intelligence, and shipbuilding, aligning with India’s Make in India goals.

Labour Mobility Agreement: Both sides are working toward a mobility pact to enable smoother movement of skilled and semi-skilled Indian workers to Russia.

Global and Multilateral Engagement: India and Russia agreed to maintain close coordination on international platforms, including the UN, G20, BRICS, and SCO.

At a joint press conference with PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored the expanding scope of India–Russia cooperation, describing the partnership as “independent, strategic and future-focused.”

Putin said the two countries are building India’s largest nuclear power plant at Kudankulam, where two of six reactors are already operational and four more are under construction. Once fully commissioned, the project will significantly enhance India’s supply of clean and affordable energy. Moscow and New Delhi are also exploring collaboration on small modular reactors, floating nuclear plants, and other peaceful nuclear applications in medicine and agriculture.

The Russian President announced plans for a major Russian–Indian pharmaceutical facility in the Kaluga region to produce advanced anti-tumour drugs using Indian technology. He added that Russian companies would increase participation in manufacturing under India’s Make in India initiative.

Putin noted strengthening cultural and educational ties, and said the launch of the RT news channel in India would allow audiences to engage more closely with Russian perspectives.

He emphasised that India and Russia pursue independent foreign policies and cooperate in BRICS and the SCO to promote a “more just and democratic multipolar world order.”

Expressing satisfaction with his discussions with PM Modi, Putin said he was confident the visit would further reinforce the bilateral strategic partnership.