Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the annual India-Russia summit this week,5Coming to New Delhi in December 2025.During this visit, India is preparing to negotiate with Russia regarding the purchase of next generation Su-57 fighter jet and advanced S-500 missile defense system. Bloomberg report says that there is little possibility of any major agreement during this visit, but the focus will be on strengthening strategic and military cooperation.
balance between russia and usa
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strengthened his ties with the US in recent years, but the country’s decades-old defense ties with Russia also remain intact. India has reduced its dependence on Russia by increasing arms purchases from America and Europe, but Moscow is still India’s largest arms supplier. According to the SIPRI report, Russia has been the largest source of military hardware for India in the last four years, even though there has been a slight decline in total purchases.
Indian Air Force needs
India still has more than 200 Russian fighter jets and several S-400 air defense batteries. The Air Force needs additional fighter aircraft, so the service chiefs have pressured the government to consider purchasing the next generation Su-57 fighter jet. The long-range missiles of the Su-57 will give India Beyond Visual Range (BVR) capability and it will be easier to adopt the new technology as the pilots are already familiar with the Russian system.
S-400 deliveries and current projects
During this visit, India may seek clarity from Russia on the delivery of pending S-400 batteries. Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said that the focus of the talks will be on major defense cooperation and not on headline-making announcements. Russia has assured that the outstanding S-400 delivery will be completed in the financial year 2026-27. Apart from this, India is also planning to rapidly advance Su-30 upgrade and many joint projects.
Trade agenda along with defense
Although no immediate big deal on new military equipment is expected during this visit, the defense partnership will remain strong. Apart from this, attention will also be given to economic relations. New Delhi will host the Mega India-Russia Business Forum during Putin’s visit on December 4 and 5.
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