Putin and Modi are holding talks in India. What the media is writing
Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid a visit to India, where he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Their talks will be a response to the increasing pressure from the United States, which is being subjected to New Delhi. The parties will discuss oil and arms trade. What the world's media write about the summit is in the Izvestia digest.
Bloomberg: Modi and Putin meet despite US pressure
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a bilateral meeting in New Delhi, during which both leaders will seek to deepen economic cooperation in the face of pressure from US President Donald Trump. Friday's meeting will take place the day after Putin's arrival in India and is expected to showcase the long-standing partnership between the two countries dating back to the Cold War.
Bloomberg
During the two-day visit, India and Russia are expected to finalize the first mobility agreement that will allow Indian specialists to move to Russia. An agreement is also expected on the supply of Indian seafood and agricultural products to Russia, whose exports suffered after Trump imposed 50 percent duties on Indian goods, which entered into force on August 1.
The parties will also demonstrate ties in the oil and defense sectors, and officials are working to finalize a deal for India to lease a $2 billion submarine from Russia. India's share in Russian imports is now less than 2%. New Delhi and Moscow intend to increase trade turnover to $100 billion by the end of the decade. The expansion of ties comes despite harsh criticism from both the United States and the European Union, and the meeting highlighted India's desire to maintain cordial relations with traditional partners and seek alternative markets to offset U.S. tariffs.
Associated Press: Putin and Modi to discuss Russian-Indian trade and defense ties
The 23rd Russia-India summit is taking place at a crucial moment. It will be a test for New Delhi, which is striving to balance relations with Moscow and Washington. On Thursday, Modi met Putin at New Delhi airport and hugged the visiting leader tightly, shaking his hand with the fervor of an old friend. According to Indian officials involved in the preparations for the summit, the agenda includes talks on defense, energy, and labor mobility.
Associated Press
Although India has historically maintained close ties with Russia, critics argue that Putin's visit could strain relations with the European Union and the United States and jeopardize negotiations on major trade agreements with both countries that are crucial for Indian exports.
At the meeting with Putin, Modi is likely to insist on accelerating the supply of two more Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems. Three of them have already been received under a 2018 contract worth about $5.4 billion. In February, the parties signed an agreement to improve military cooperation, exercises, port calls, disaster relief and logistical support. Negotiations are also expected to be held on the modernization of Russian-made Indian Su-30 fighter jets and the acceleration of supplies of critical military equipment.
The New York Times: what you need to know about Vladimir Putin's trip to India
Putin shook Modi's hand as he got off the plane, and the two leaders hugged before leaving. This trip seems to be a repeat of the "limo diplomacy" in September, when the Russian leader gave the Indian Prime minister a lift in a limo during a meeting in Tianjin. Modi was scheduled to host Putin at a private dinner on Thursday, and they will hold formal talks on Friday. At the center of the bilateral negotiations will be a third country whose actions are testing the strength of these relations: the United States.
The New York Times
This is a particularly difficult period for India, which is looking for a way to resolve its economic conflict with the Trump administration. Trump accused India of financing <military operation> Russia is in Ukraine, buying its oil, and last month the largest Indian oil companies almost completely stopped buying Russian oil after US sanctions against Russian oil giants became a threat to companies doing business with them.
India's relations with the United States have become more uneven. In recent years, the countries have sought to move closer, partly because Washington saw India as a counterweight to China, but the high tariffs imposed by Trump have reversed this process. Indian oil companies began actively purchasing Russian oil at a discount after the introduction of international sanctions. More than a third of India's oil imports over the past three years have come from Russia. This has become a major stumbling block in India's trade negotiations with the Trump administration, which imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India, doubling duties initially levied on all Indian exports.
The Guardian: Putin and Modi will meet in politically difficult times for Russia and India
When Putin last visited India almost exactly four years ago, the world order looked completely different. During that visit, which lasted only five hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Putin and Modi discussed economic and military cooperation and confirmed the special relationship between them. Trump's re-election has turned the long-standing close relationship between the United States and India upside down with his provocative rhetoric and some of the toughest import duties in the world, plunging New Delhi into despair.
The Guardian
Against this turbulent geopolitical background, analysts emphasize the importance of the Russian president's trip to India on Thursday to meet with Modi, which is both a symbol of strong relations between the countries and a signal that neither of them will be intimidated by US pressure. The summit is taking place at a critical moment for both countries.
New Delhi, which has pursued a multi-block foreign policy since independence and has reacted poorly to any outside interference, has reacted with outrage to Trump's attempts to intervene and exert pressure, which has led to the most serious deterioration in relations between the United States and India in many years. India has agreed to increase imports of American oil and gas, which is seen as an attempt to appease Trump.
Reuters: Putin questions US sanctions against India for buying Russian oil
Putin has defied the powerful US pressure on India not to buy Russian fuel. This happened during his two-day state visit, during which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugged him upon arrival. Putin made the comments in an interview with Indian broadcaster India Today, which aired a few hours after arriving in New Delhi for a visit during which the two countries are seeking to increase mutual trade and expand the range of deals.
Reuters
"The United States itself is still buying nuclear fuel from us for its nuclear power plants. This is also fuel," Putin said in an interview with India Today. "If the United States has the right to buy our fuel, why shouldn't India have the same privilege? This issue deserves careful study, and we are ready to discuss it, including with President Trump," he said.
India has said Trump's tariffs are unreasonable and unwise, and pointed to Washington's ongoing trade with Moscow. The United States and the European Union continue to import billions of dollars worth of Russian energy and raw materials, from liquefied natural gas to enriched uranium.
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