Putin's India Visit Dates 'Almost Finalised', Says NSA Doval in Moscow
New Delhi: National security adviser Ajit Doval said during his ongoing visit to Moscow that the dates of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India wer being worked out but that he hasn’t indicated any specific date or timeframe for the visit, sources said here on Thursday.
Sources said reports attributed to Davil that the visit would take place later this month were not correct. But Doval has reportedly said the dates for the visit had been “almost finalised” between the two sides. Some reports indicated that President Putin’s visit may take place by the end of the year.
This comes amid the continuing oil purchases and defence cooperation between the two time-tested friends, which has enraged US President Donald Trump.
Footage of the talks in Moscow showed Doval telling Russian officials: “You have very rightly mentioned that we have got a very special relationship, long relationship and we highly value our strategic partnership. We have had very high-level engagements and these have contributed very substantially. We are very excited and delighted to learn about the visit of President Putin to India. I think the dates are almost finalised now. But the more important thing is that these summit meetings have always been watershed points.”
The latest punitive tariffs imposed on India by Trump for buying Russian oil were understood to have been discussed during the visit as Moscow faces increased pressure from the Trump administration to end the war against Ukraine. External affairs minister S. Jaishankar is also due to visit Moscow.
Interestingly, India is also scheduled to host the four-nation Quad summit later this year and Trump was supposed to visit India for that. Given the raging trade tensions between the two nations, it is anybody’s guess whether the Quad summit will be hosted by India at all this year.
India-US ties are facing their most serious crisis in decades since 1998, when the US imposed economic sanctions against India following the Pokhran nuclear tests.
The timing of Putin’s visit is also a clear message from New Delhi to Washington that India will not abandon its longstanding and time-tested friendship with close friends like Russia, who have stood with India for decades, including as the erstwhile Soviet Union.
On Wednesday, President Trump had implemented his threat against New Delhi by slapping a total of 50 per cent tariffs on India, which includes an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods exported to the US as penalty for purchase of Russian oil by New Delhi.
Soon after, when asked by reporters why China — which buys even more Russian oil than India — was not facing 50 per cent American tariffs as a penalty, President Trump said: “It may happen. I don't know, I can't tell you yet. But we did it with India. We are doing it probably with a couple of others, one of them could be China.”