Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia on July 8, the office of the prime minister and the Kremlin confirmed on July 4.
It will be Modi's first trip to Russia since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine. In 2022, Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2022 at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbekistan.
According to the Kremlin, Modi and Putin will discuss the "prospects for the further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations, as well as current issues on the international and regional agenda."
Modi's official website said the visit would entail talks on the "entire range of multifaceted relations between the two countries and exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest."
New Delhi has been calling for a diplomatic solution to Russia's war against Ukraine but has been simultaneously fostering close economic ties with Moscow. India became one of the chief buyers of Russian oil following Western sanctions, although pressure from U.S. sanctions increasingly threatens this trade.
While India participated in Ukraine's global peace summit in June, Modi did not attend personally, and India's representative did not ultimately sign the joint communique.
Modi was also one of the few democratically elected leaders to congratulate Putin on his reelection in March after a vote that was widely considered to be neither free nor fair.
Nate Ostiller
(Updated: )
