President Putin expected to visit India in early December

There was no official word from India or Russia on the planned visit though people familiar with planning for the trip on both sides said on condition of anonymity that Putin is expected to be in the Indian capital around December 5. The two sides are yet to finalise all details for the visit, including whether it will be for one or two days, the people said.

This will be Putin’s first visit to India since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and he last travelled to the country in 2021 for the annual summit. The visit will be an opportunity for the leadership to do a stock-taking of bilateral relations, especially amid pressure piled on India by the US to reduce purchases of Russian energy and armaments.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who is also expected to travel to India a month before Putin, said on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York this week that a visit by the president is being planned for December. Besides his official engagements in New Delhi, Putin is expected to launch the new India channel of Russian state-run broadcaster RT.