President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi on December 4–5 for a state visit that will include a ceremonial welcome, a bilateral summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an address at the India–Russia Business Forum and a state banquet. This will be his first trip to India since the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022 and will mark the 25th year of the India–Russia Strategic Partnership, as well as the 23rd annual summit between the two countries.
Putin is scheduled to land in the capital on the evening of December 4, where Prime Minister Modi will host a private dinner. The formal programme will begin the next morning with a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan, a tri-service guard of honour and floral tributes at Rajghat. The two leaders will then hold delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House, after which a series of MoUs are expected to be signed in areas including trade, health, agriculture, media and cultural exchange. Both leaders are expected to issue press statements afterwards. In the afternoon, Modi and Putin will jointly address the India–Russia Business Forum at Bharat Mandapam, focusing on investment, energy cooperation and mechanisms to reduce the trade imbalance that currently favours Russia.
President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet on the evening of December 5, following which Putin is scheduled to depart, concluding a trip of roughly 30 hours. Parallel to economic engagements, the visit is expected to include high-level defence discussions. New Delhi and Moscow are preparing to advance cooperation on next-generation BrahMos variants, including the lighter air-launched BrahMos NG with the ability to hit targets beyond 400 km and extended-range versions significantly exceeding current capability. Broader talks are likely to cover hypersonic missile development, long-range air-to-air missiles and the procurement of around 280 additional S-400 air-defence missiles.
The BrahMos programme remains a central pillar of the defence partnership and has seen rapid expansion in Indian deployments, including combat use during Operation Sindoor. With exports already underway to the Philippines and interest from other Southeast Asian states, defence collaboration will be a major point of substance alongside the diplomatic symbolism of Putin’s first India visit in nearly three years.
