Russian President Vladimir Putin received a ceremonial welcome with a 21-gun salute at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Friday as he started his official visit to India. His full day schedule in Delhi included talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the signing of important agreements, and a joint press conference that showed the growing partnership between India and Russia.

During their meeting, both leaders confirmed the strength of a relationship that has lasted for more than eight decades. Prime Minister Modi said the two countries had stayed close through many global challenges and added that their friendship had remained firm. He said, “The world has witnessed many ups and downs in the last eight decades. However, the friendship between India and Russia has remained like a pole star. This relationship is built on mutual respect and trust… Today, we have held discussions on all factors that will help strengthen this relationship.”

One of the main results of the meeting was the completion of the Vision 2030 Strategic Roadmap. This document sets out key areas for long-term economic cooperation, including expanding trade, encouraging co-production and co-innovation, and increasing work in new fields. Both countries repeated their goal of reaching $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. They also looked at the progress of a planned Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union.

A major focus of the visit was energy cooperation. President Putin said that partnerships in oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power continue to be an important part of the relationship. He said that commercial transactions using national currencies now make up 96 percent of all trade. Prime Minister Modi also said that energy ties are essential for India’s long-term needs. He said, “Energy security has been a strong pillar of our partnership, and we will continue this win-win cooperation.”

Civil nuclear cooperation also received strong attention. President Putin called the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant a flagship project and said, “We are implementing a flagship project to build India’s largest nuclear power plant at Kudankulam. Two of the six reactor units are already connected to the grid, while four more are under construction.” He added that both sides could explore small modular reactors, floating nuclear plants, and peaceful nuclear uses in medicine and agriculture. The leaders also discussed expanding the International North South Transport Corridor to improve connectivity and logistics between Russia, Belarus, and the Indian Ocean region.

India and Russia signed several agreements during the visit that covered migration, mobility, health cooperation, and food safety. Work is also moving forward on a labour mobility pact that will make it easier for skilled and semi-skilled Indian workers to travel to Russia. Prime Minister Modi said that India would soon introduce a free 30-day e-tourist visa and a 30-day group tourist visa for Russian visitors to support tourism and cultural ties.

The two leaders also examined defence cooperation and work in high technology areas. Their discussions included space exploration, artificial intelligence, and shipbuilding under the Make in India initiative. President Putin also announced a plan to set up a Russian Indian pharmaceutical facility in the Kaluga region to produce advanced anti-tumour drugs using Indian technology.

Counter terrorism cooperation remained a key theme. Prime Minister Modi said, “India and Russia have long been standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism. Whether it is the terrorist attack in Pahalgam or the cowardly attack on the Crocus City Hall, the root of all these incidents is the same.” He said that global unity is needed to fight this threat and added that both countries will continue to work together in global forums, including the UN, G20, BRICS, and the SCO.

The Ukraine conflict was also an important part of the talks. Modi said that India stands strongly on the side of peace. He said that New Delhi has kept regular communication with Moscow since the conflict began and added, “India is not neutral, we are on the side of peace.” President Putin thanked India for its approach and said, “Russia is working on a peaceful settlement with Ukraine. The relationship between Russia and India is based on trust. The world will only benefit if we travel on the path of peace.”

Cultural and educational cooperation was discussed as well. President Putin spoke about the launch of the RT news channel in India and said it would help Indian audiences understand Russian views better. He also spoke about the shared values of both nations and referred to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas of peace and equality. In the visitor’s book at Rajghat, he wrote about Gandhi’s vision of a fair multipolar world and said these values still guide India-Russia relations.

The visit ended with both leaders expressing confidence that the agreements signed and the discussions held would increase cooperation in many sectors and strengthen the long-standing strategic partnership. President Putin said he was pleased with his talks with Prime Minister Modi and believed the visit would further strengthen their relationship.