Russian President Putin’s 30-hour Speed Trip Looks to Boost Bilateral Trade Deals

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in India for a high-level bilateral summit with PM Modi. Putin will attend the 23rd India-Russia annual summit. Vladimir Putin's spokesperson stated that Russia intends to utilise the New Delhi summit to safeguard its trade ties with India from US sanctions.

Putin’s India Visit Schedule

According to sources, the Russian President will dine with the Prime Minister. He will receive a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan the day after. He is scheduled to visit Mahatma Gandhi's memorial in Raj Ghat on Friday (December 5, 2025). Putin will then attend the summit at Hyderabad House and an event at Bharat Mandapam. 

He will also participate in a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan

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Agenda of Putin Modi Meet

According to a media brief by the Kremlin, Putin's spokesperson, Dimitri Peskov, Russia intends to use the summit to protect trade ties with India from the sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump's administration. Apart from that, a key defence deal between New Delhi and Moscow has also been okayed by the Russian Parliament.

“The two sides have finalised an agreement for mobility of skilled and semi-skilled manpower, and negotiations began last week on a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, a five-member bloc including Russia, that is expected to address New Delhi’s concerns about tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade,” officials of the external affairs ministry said.

The Security Never Seen Before 

Highly trained personnel from Russia's Presidential Security Service, top commandos from India's National Security Guard, snipers, drones, jammers, and AI monitoring - a five-layer security ring has been prepared ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India.

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Security officials are sanitising every route the Russian President's cavalcade will pass through. Specialised drones will ensure that a control room set up for the President's security has eyes on his cavalcade at all times. 

Several snipers will cover the route of the President's movement. Jammers, AI monitoring and facial recognition cameras are some of the equipment in the massive tech deployment for Putin's security.

NSG and officers of Delhi Police will be part of the outer layers of security, while the Russian Presidential Security will handle the inner layers. When the Russian President is with Prime Minister Modi, commandos from India's Special Protection Group, which protects the Prime Minister, will join the inner security ring.

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A highlight of Putin's security is the Aurus Senat, which is a heavily armoured luxury limousine. The Senat is being flown in from Moscow for Putin's India trip.

Final Thoughts 

The meeting between the Russian President and PM Modi coincides with a tense turn in relations between Washington and New Delhi. The US is punishing India with tariffs and a sanctions threat for its strong historic ties with Russia and a surge in its purchase of Russian crude during the Ukraine war. On the other hand, Russia is facing international pressure to stop war with Ukraine.

Putin’s visit could offer signs of how Indian Prime Minister plans to juggle New Delhi’s competing relationships without sacrificing any of them.

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