Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday voiced support for India, questioning the rationale behind US tariffs imposed on New Delhi for importing Russian oil. Pointing out what he described as a double standard, Putin said that the United States continues to purchase Russian nuclear fuel, yet India faces restrictions for similar transactions.
In an interview with India Today, he said India should enjoy the same rights as the US, stating, “If the United States can buy Russian fuel, there is no reason why India should be denied the same opportunity.”
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He further emphasised that India deserves global recognition and respect for its sovereign choices in energy procurement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warmly welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin as he kick-started a nearly 27-hour visit to India to further shore up an eight-decade bilateral partnership that remained in firm footing notwithstanding fractious geopolitical upheavals.
In reflection of the importance India attached to the Russian leader’s first visit to India in four years, Modi received him at New Delhi’s Palam airport with a hug amid a group of artistes performing traditional dances.
From the airport, the two leaders travelled to Modi’s official residence in his car, nearly three months after the prime minister rode with Putin in the Russian leader’s vehicle in Chinese city of Tianjin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
“Delighted to welcome my friend, President Putin to India. Looking forward to our interactions later this evening and tomorrow. India-Russia friendship is a time tested one that has greatly benefited our people,” the prime minister said on social media.
In the evening, Modi hosted a private dinner for the Russian president in a reciprocal gesture to the hospitality extended to the prime minister by Putin during his visit to Moscow in July last year. Modi’s official residence was decorated with bright lights and flowers on the occasion.
The conversation between the two leaders over the dinner is expected to set the tone for the 23rd India-Russia summit talks on Friday that is expected to produce a number of tangible outcomes to further broadbase the time-tested relationship.
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Boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors are set to be the focus of the summit between the two leaders that is expected to be closely watched by Western capitals.
The Russian leader’s visit to New Delhi has assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of rapid downturn in India-US relations.
Following the summit, the two sides are expected to seal several agreements including in areas of trade.
On Friday, Putin will be accorded a ceremonial welcome and a tri-services guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan, before he goes to Raj Ghat to pay homage at the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
It will be followed by talks between the two leaders in a restricted format and with their delegations at Hyderabad House, the venue for the summit.
Modi and Putin will also attend a business event jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Roscongress at Bharat Mandapam.
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In the evening, Putin will attend a state banquet to be hosted in his honour by President Droupadi Murmu. The Russian leader is expected to leave India at around 9 pm on Friday.
In the summit talks, New Delhi is expected to press for addressing the increasing trade deficit caused by India’s procurement of large volumes of Russian crude oil.
The Russian president’s trip to India is taking place at a time when India-US relations are going through possibly the worst phase in the last two decades after Washington imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent levies for New Delhi’s procurement of Russian crude oil.
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