Modi, Putin hold talks on trade, defence and energy cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Russian President Vladimir Putin for wide-ranging talks, with the two sides expected to focus on expanding bilateral trade, defence cooperation, energy ties and collaboration in critical minerals.

Putin arrived in New Delhi earlier in the day on a three-day visit to participate in the BRICS summit. The meeting between the two leaders is also expected to cover the roadmap for taking annual India-Russia trade to USD 100 billion by 2030.

Defence cooperation is likely to be another key area of discussion. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had said the two countries were exploring upgrades to BrahMos missiles, while Moscow remained committed to completing pending S-400 deliveries and was also discussing the proposed supply of Su-57 fighter jets.

Energy cooperation is also expected to feature prominently, with the two sides looking at negotiations on India's plans to set up new civil nuclear reactors. Discussions are likely to include fuel-cycle and life-cycle support for the nuclear sector.

The Ukraine conflict and efforts towards a peace settlement are expected to be among the major geopolitical issues discussed by Modi and Putin. The two leaders had met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek last week, where Modi called for an immediate end to the conflict and urged Putin to move from an "endless war towards the end of war".

The talks come amid renewed diplomatic efforts, including by the administration of US President Donald Trump, to find a way to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

Beyond trade and defence, the discussions are expected to cover industrial cooperation, railways and tunnelling, development of the steel value chain and greater access for Indian exporters to the Russian market.

The two sides are also likely to discuss increasing the mobility of skilled Indian workers to Russia and expanding cooperation in critical minerals.