Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a gala reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on December 5, 2025. | Photo credit: RV Moorthy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for taking the India-Russia relationship to “new heights” over the past quarter of a century and unveiled a broad canvas of energy and trade cooperation between the two countries stretching to 2030. Addressing the media after bilateral talks at Hyderabad House on Friday (Dec 5, 2009), Mr. Modi described the friendship as “Star of India 2025” called for a peaceful solution to Russia’s war with Ukraine.
“During the last eight decades, the world has witnessed many ups and downs. Mankind has faced many challenges and crises. Despite all this, India-Russia friendship has remained stable as a dhruva tara (guiding star),” the Prime Minister said.
In a later briefing, Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said the Prime Minister was using the Hindi term ‘dhruva tara’ and said it referred to the “enduring and long-term significance of this relationship”. Emphasizing the “sustainability and security” of India-Russia ties, Mr. Misri added: “This relationship is constant. There have been several crises during it, but they have not changed the fundamentals of this relationship.”
“Promoting Peace in Ukraine”
Mr Putin’s visit has drawn global attention as it comes months after US President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on India’s purchases of Russian energy. Trump described his move as a tactic to push Russia to the negotiating table on Ukraine.
In his remarks, the Prime Minister called “energy security” a “strong and essential pillar of the India-Russia partnership”. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, “India has been consistently pushing for peace when it comes to the situation in Ukraine,” he added.
Ahead of press statements by Mr Modi and Mr Putin in Hyderabad, the Russian president’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, told Russian and Indian media that “the British and European press are hysterically trying to disrupt US-Russian negotiations”. In an indirect reference to an article recently published in an Indian newspaper jointly written by the French, British and German envoys to India, Mr Dmitriev said: “We know that the British Empire no longer exists, but there are still attempts to disrupt (Russia-US) peace talks through the media.”
Mr Modi, who has called for peace on numerous occasions since the Ukraine conflict began in February 2022, reiterated India’s position. “We welcome all efforts for a peaceful and lasting solution to this matter. India has always been and will always be ready to contribute,” he said.
Cooperation in the field of nuclear energy
Referring to the Kudankulam plant as “India’s largest nuclear reactor”, Putin announced that Russia was also willing to work with India on small modular nuclear reactors.
“Our decades-old cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy has played an important role in advancing our shared clean energy priorities. We will continue this mutually beneficial cooperation,” the Prime Minister said, mentioning the Chennai-Vladivostok transport corridor as a project of their mutual concern.
The India-Russia joint statement also made extensive mention of energy security, noting “current and potential cooperation between Indian and Russian companies in areas such as oil and petroleum products, oil refining and petrochemical technology, oilfield services and upstream technology and related infrastructure”. The two sides also agreed to resolve issues faced by their “energy sector investors”.
Growing business, visa free
Mr. Putin emphasized the trade aspect of India-Russia relations. During 2024-25, trade between India and Russia has reached $64 billion, he said. “We are on track to touch $100 billion by 2030. We are currently negotiating an India-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement and a new efficient international transport corridor that will connect Belarus and Russia to the Indian Ocean coast,” he said.
The Russian president described India and Russia as countries that both pursue an “independent foreign policy” that calls for a “fairer, democratic multipolar world order and respect for sovereignty.”
The two sides also announced a program for the development of strategic areas of economic cooperation between India and Russia till 2030. To strengthen people-to-people and business contacts, the Prime Minister announced the granting of 30-day e-tourist visas “free” to Russian nationals on a reciprocal basis and free group tourist visa to Russian nationals as well.
The two sides signed sixteen memorandums of understanding covering areas such as mobility of semi-skilled workers, fertilizers, media and academic cooperation. In a new twist on media engagement, Mr Putin attended a special event to launch the Indian edition of Russia Today, the Russian state English broadcaster. The Indian version of the channel will be its second international foray after the earlier Arabic edition.
Published – 5 Dec 2025 23:06 IST
