Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Moscow from July 8, 2024 to July 9, 2024, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold the 22nd Edition of the India-Russia Annual Summit. This will be Modi’s first visit to the Russian Federation since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. His last visit to Russia was in 2019 when he attended an economic summit in Vladivostok.
PM Modi is expected to reach Moscow, Russia by July 8 afternoon (IST). The Annual Summit between Modi and Putin is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two countries. According to an official release, the 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 interests during the 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 the VDNKH Complex Rosatom Pavilion. He will also address a gathering of the Indian diaspora. Kremlin Deputy spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with a Russian Media agency said that the program of PM Modi in Moscow will be extensive and the two leaders willable able to have I formal talks.
“Obviously, the agenda will be extensive, if not to say over busy. 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 Russia-India relations,” Peskov said. Stating that the Russia-India relations are at the level of strategic partnership. Peskov added that there would be both one on one talks in the Kremlin and those involving delegations.
The Kremlin also emphasised that the West is closely and jealously watching Prime Minister Narendra Modi upcoming visit to Russia. “They are jealous and which is why they are closely monitoring it. Their close monitoring means that have attached great importance to it. And they are not mistaken and there is something to attach great importance to,” Peskov said.
Meanwhile the External Affairs Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar on July 7, 2024 said that the visit of PM Modi to Russia is great opportunity for him and Putin to hold direct talks on a host of issues including trade. According to him, the certain issues between India and Russia need resolution. There are issues like trade imbalance. So, at the leadership level it will be a great opportunity to for PM Modi and President Putin to sit down and directly talk to each other and then obviously as per their directions, we will see how to take the relationship forward.
PM Modi will also raise the issue of illegal rackets luring Indians to lucrative jobs and coercively force them to fight as soldiers of the Russian Army against Ukraine. This will be Modi’s first visit to Moscow since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. However, PM Modi has held several telephonic conversations with Putin and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressing the importance of ending the war which has seriously altered the global economy.
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