Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Russia later this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday during a video address to the international conference titled ‘Russia and India: To the New Agenda of Bilateral Relations’ in Moscow.
“According to the results of the visit of President (Vladimir Putin) to New Delhi in December last year, the consonance of the strategic goals of Russia and India was confirmed, a solid package of documents was adopted,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said reportedly.
He also highlighted the importance of maintaining high-level dialogue between the two nations. Putin had made a landmark tenth visit to India in December 2025 for the annual summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Russia for the next annual summit, while Putin is scheduled to visit India for the BRICS summit.
Addressing the conference, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said, “India and Russia share a special and privileged strategic partnership rooted in trust and mutual respect. Over decades, our mutually beneficial cooperation has advanced regional and global peace, stability and progress. In today’s evolving geopolitical dynamics, our engagement continues to deepen, driven by frequent high-level exchanges. The last visit of President Putin to India in December 2025 broke new ground covering diverse and novel areas…”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, also speaking virtually, praised India’s “independent foreign policy” that prioritises national interest and highlighted the close coordination between the two countries on foreign policy matters amid ongoing global tensions, including the “military-political crisis in the Persian Gulf provoked by the US and Israel.”
Jaishankar underlined that the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia is “rooted in trust and mutual respect” and that bilateral cooperation has advanced regional and global peace, stability, and progress.
“In today’s evolving geopolitical dynamics, our engagement continues to deepen, driven by frequent high-level exchanges,” he said, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India last December broke new ground in areas such as the mobility of skilled professionals, maritime cooperation, fertilisers, customs, and commerce.
Highlighting economic cooperation, Jaishankar said both sides have committed to increasing bilateral trade from $68.7 billion to $100 billion by 2030 in a “balanced and sustainable manner.”
Achieving this target, he noted, will require finalising the India-Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) free trade agreement, addressing non-tariff barriers and regulatory hurdles, and utilising India’s skilled workforce. Lavrov added that 96 per cent of current trade between the two countries is conducted in national currencies.
On energy cooperation, Jaishankar described Russia as India’s “foremost partner” in civil nuclear energy. “As India aims to increase its nuclear energy generation capacity to 100 GW by 2047, I am confident that it will find a trusted and reliable partner in Russia for peaceful uses of nuclear energy,” he said.
Lavrov emphasised India’s growing influence in the emerging multipolar world. “New Delhi deserves the deepest respect for pursuing an independent foreign policy as part of its course toward strategic autonomy, consistently prioritising the national interest,” he said.
He described the Russian-Indian friendship as “time-tested” and “a model of how interstate relations based on equality, mutual trust and respect, and consideration of each other’s interests can and should be built.” Lavrov also confirmed that Russia looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a visit later this year.
