Putin to Visit India in December Amid Strains Over Russian Oil

The Kremlin confirmed Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India in December to fortify relations between Moscow and New Delhi amid US sanctions imposed over India's purchase of Russian oil.

According to AFP, during a regional summit in China on Monday, Putin will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss "preparations for the December visit," according to Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov.

Although the dates were not yet set, Ajit Doval, the national security adviser, also announced last month that Putin will travel to India.  He had stated that "we have a special, long relationship and we value this relationship."

The move follows US President Donald Trump's imposition of a 50 per cent duty on Indian imports, which he justified by pointing to New Delhi's ongoing purchases of Russian oil.

Earlier and several times, Trump has accused India of profiting from discounted Russian crude oil, writing, “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine."

Putin had called Prime Minister Modi earlier this month to discuss his impressions of his meeting with President Trump in Alaska over the war in Ukraine.  PM Modi had emphasized India's steadfast support for a diplomatic and dialogue-based, peaceful settlement of the dispute during the phone call.

During the call, these leaders talked about a variety of bilateral cooperation topics in an effort to further solidify India and Russia's Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.