Putin’s 27-Hour India Visit: A High-Stakes Diplomatic Engagement

Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Thursday for a tightly scheduled 27-hour official visit. Upon landing, he is expected to proceed directly to the Prime Minister’s residence for a one-to-one dinner meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting is likely to conclude around 8:30 p.m., after which the Russian leader will retire to his hotel for the night, officials said.

According to sources, Friday will be an intensive day of engagements. President Putin is scheduled to begin the morning with a meeting with the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan around 11:00 a.m. He will then visit Rajghat, where he is expected to spend about 30 minutes paying homage.

From Rajghat, Putin will travel to Hyderabad House, where he will participate in official discussions leading up to a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Modi around 2:00 p.m. The afternoon will continue with a series of high-level meetings at Hyderabad House, focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors. Before concluding the engagements there, Putin is also expected to make a brief stop at Bharat Mandapam.

In the evening, he will attend the launch event of RT TV before heading back to Rashtrapati Bhavan for a state dinner scheduled around 7:30 p.m.

The Russian President will depart within 27 hours of his arrival, marking what officials describe as a brief yet strategically significant visit.

This will be Putin’s first visit to India in four years, and his first since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict. For New Delhi, the visit comes at a critical juncture as the government seeks to balance strategic autonomy amid growing pressure from Washington and other Western capitals, while continuing to depend on Moscow for defence hardware, crude oil, and fertilisers.

For Moscow, the trip represents an opportunity to reaffirm its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with India—one of its most reliable long-term partners—and to explore new economic frameworks capable of bypassing sanctions and navigating a fragmenting global order.

The Kremlin has emphasised that the India–Russia relationship is built on trust, stability, and continuity. During a briefing in New Delhi, Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov underscored that Russia has stood “shoulder to shoulder” with India through pivotal phases of nation-building, and that this enduring commitment remains a cornerstone of Moscow’s foreign policy.

Indian officials also highlighted the importance of the annual summit mechanism in sustaining bilateral momentum even during periods of intense geopolitical turbulence. Since President Putin’s first visit to India in 2000, this year’s meeting will mark the 23rd edition of the annual summit.