PM to visit Russia for informal talks with Putin

NEWDELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia next week for an “informal summit” with President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, the ministry of external affairs announced on Monday.

The talks will take place on May 21.

“This will be an important occasion for the two leaders to exchange views on international matters in a broad and long-term perspective with the objective of further strengthening our special and privileged strategic partnership,” the MEA said in a statement.

National security adviser Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale visited Russia on May 10 to finalise the engagement.

The summit comes at a time when concerns have been raised on the future of some big-ticket military deals with Russia, including a multi-billion dollar contract for S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems, amid US sanctions on several Russian entities under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act signed by the Trump administration. Russia accounted for 62% India’s arms imports in 2013–17, followed by the US (15%) and Israel (11%).

India has been in talks with Russia to buy five advanced S-400 missile systems, capable of destroying jets, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a range of 400km.

The deal was discussed during defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Russia early April. “Modi and Putin will have to sort out the issue of Russia’s military exports to India. They may have to explore creative ways such as an alternative banking system to avoid the sanctions fallout,” said Anuradha Chenoy, professor, Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies at JNU.

She said issues related to China and Iran could also figure prominently during the talks, given Washington’s increasingly confrontationist approach towards the two countries.

The MEA said the informal summit between Modi and Putin was in keeping with the tradition of regular consultations between India and Russia at the highest levels. The meeting also comes against the backdrop of some fastpaced developments in the region such as the US exiting the Iran deal and the US-North Korea talks.

The two leaders will also meet in New Delhi for the Indo-Russia annual summit in October.

Mo di had met Chinese Premier Xi Jinping for “informal talks” in China in April.