PM Modi’s Russia visit to begin today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Moscow from Monday, July 8 to July 9, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.
This will be Modi’s first visit to Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. His last visit to Russia was in 2019, when he attended an economic conclave in the Far East city of Vladivostok.
PM Narendra Modi is expected to reach Russia by Monday afternoon (IST). The annual summit between Modi and Vladimir Putin is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two countries.
According to an official release, Modi and Putin will review the entire range of multifaceted relations between the two countries and exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest during their meeting.
Modi’s programme in Moscow includes a private meeting with Putin, delegation-level talks, restricted talks, a lunch hosted by Putin for the Prime Minister and his delegation, and a visit to an exhibition centre in the VDNKH Complex, Rosatom Pavilion. He will also address a gathering of the Indian diaspora.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with Russia’s state-run VGTRK television channel, said that the program of Modi in Moscow will be “extensive” and the two leaders will be able to have “informal talks”.
“Obviously, the agenda will be extensive, if not to say overbusy. It will be an official visit, and we hope that the heads will be able to talk in an informal way as well…We are expecting a very important and full-fledged visit, which is so crucial for Russian-Indian relations,” Peskov said.