Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India praised his “deep and unbreakable relationship” with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia after they held talks in India on Friday against the backdrop of strained ties between New Delhi and Washington.
Mr. Modi and Mr. Putin pledged deeper cooperation in defense, trade and energy, underscoring the important strategic ties between the two countries.
Mr. Modi lauded Mr. Putin’s “leadership and foresight” after a number of bilateral agreements were signed, and he added, “Humanity has gone through many challenges but ties between Russia and India have been like the North Star.”
Mr. Putin’s visit to India, his first since the full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, serves to underline that Russia has not turned into a total global pariah despite extensive sanctions and an indictment by the International Criminal Court. India and Russia have been friends for decades, going back to the Soviet era.
For Mr. Modi, the partnership is a way to show that India has not abandoned its policy of “strategic autonomy” and is pursuing partners based on self-interest. He had spent years cultivating closer ties with the United States but instead found his country entangled in a geopolitical battle involving Russia’s war on Ukraine. The Trump administration has doubled tariffs on goods from India to 50 percent after accusing New Delhi of helping Moscow to finance the war through oil trading. More recent Western sanctions on Russian oil companies have nearly halted India’s imports of the fuel.
After a ceremonial welcome in New Delhi on Thursday evening, where Mr. Modi greeted Mr. Putin at the airport with a handshake and a hug, the two leaders had an informal dinner at the Indian prime minister’s official residence. On Friday, Mr. Putin laid a wreath at the Gandhi memorial before starting one-on-one talks with Mr. Modi.
The two leaders were planning later to address a forum of business leaders, and Mr. Putin will take part in the opening of RT India, an arm of Russia’s state media. He will depart on Friday night after a meeting with the Indian president, Droupadi Murmu.
Officials from both countries have insisted that the core of the meetings is about promoting business ties and military cooperation. India, which relies heavily on Russia for defense hardware, has a significant trade imbalance with Russia, which it seeks to reduce by 2030. Under the new agreements, India is expected to increase agricultural exports to Russia.
The Russian state company Rosatom is also building what Mr. Putin said would be India’s largest civilian nuclear power plant, in Tamil Nadu, in the south of the country. He also announced plans for a Russian-Indian pharmaceutical plant to be built in the Kaluga region of Russia, about a two-hour drive from Moscow. India is increasing its diplomatic footprint in Russia by opening new consulates in the cities of Kazan and Yekaterinburg.
Throughout the visit, media from both countries have emphasized the close personal relationship between the leaders, which mirrors the relative warmth that Indians have toward Russia. Almost half of Indians reported favorable views of Russia, according to a study by the Pew Research Center this year.
A cartoon video published on Friday by India Today, a privately owned outlet, and shared widely by pro-Kremlin media, showed how both leaders would perhaps like the world to view their deepening friendship. In the clip, which emulates a song sequence from “Sholay,” a legendary Bollywood movie, Mr. Modi drives a motorcycle and serenades Mr. Putin, who sits in the sidecar playing the harmonica. They careen through green fields, pass a Russian missile system and eventually pull up to a filling station offering gas from Russia and from the United States. Mr. Modi fills up at the Russian pump, leaving President Trump shaking his fist.
In the video, Mr. Modi sings a version of the original lyrics: “We won’t abandon this friendship. Even if there are challenges, we won’t leave your side.”
Anupreeta Das covers India and South Asia for The Times. She is based in New Delhi.
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