On October 7, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend birthday wishes on his 73rd birthday. During the conversation, PM Modi conveyed his best wishes for the Russian leader’s health and success, while the two also reviewed the agenda for their upcoming 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” that has historically defined relations between the two nations. PM Modi expressed his anticipation in welcoming President Putin to India for the summit.
Earlier, on October 2, President Putin had encouraged his government to address trade imbalances with India and lauded PM Modi as a “balanced, wise, and nationally oriented” leader. Putin highlighted the need to increase Russian imports of Indian agricultural products and medicines, partly to offset the trade deficit caused by India’s heavy crude oil imports from Russia. Speaking at the Valdai plenary session, he emphasized that India’s sovereignty and decision-making would not be compromised, even under potential US tariff pressures, which currently stand at 50 percent due to crude oil purchases.
Putin underscored the significant potential for economic cooperation between Russia and India, noting that the bilateral trade turnover of about $63 billion falls short of the countries’ mutual potential. He cited challenges in financing, logistics, and payments as key obstacles to fully unlocking opportunities. At the same time, he acknowledged the longstanding stability of political and diplomatic ties between the two countries, highlighting nearly constant coordination on international matters and close cooperation between their foreign ministries.
Additionally, Putin welcomed proposals for joint development of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, an idea presented by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director General of the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), at the Sochi-based Valdai forum. He reiterated that the 15th anniversary of the special strategic partnership between India and Russia underscores the enduring and trusted nature of the bilateral relationship, which traces its roots back to the Soviet era and India’s independence struggle.
