Kumar Bahukhandi
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. (Photo: X)
This comes amid the continuing oil purchases and defence cooperation between the two time-tested friends, which has enraged US President Donald Trump.
New Delhi: National security adviser Ajit Doval called on Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday August 7 , 2025 to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries. According to government sources, Mr Doval, during his ongoing visit to Moscow, has said that the dates of the Russian President’s visit to India are being worked out but that he hasn’t indicated any specific date or timeframe for the visit.
Russia confirmed that Mr Putin warmly shook hands with Mr Doval in his Kremlin chamber before settling down for deliberations.
During the meeting, according to sources, Mr Doval reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to continue cooperation on all fronts with Russia in spite of outside pressure.
On behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Doval extended an invitation to the Russian President to visit India later this year, which Mr Putin has accepted with gratitude, they added.
Amid indications that Mr Putin will travel to India for the bilateral summit by the end of the year, Mr Doval held talks with Russian security council secretary Sergey Shoigu earlier in the day.
Sources said reports attributed to the NSA that the Russian President’s visit will take place later this month were not correct. But Mr Doval has reportedly said the dates for the visit had been “almost finalised” between the two sides. This comes amid the continuing oil purchases and defence cooperation between the two time-tested friends, which has enraged US President Donald Trump. Some reports indicated that Mr Putin’s visit may take place by the end of the year.
Footage of the talks in Moscow showed Mr 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 US President Donald Trump for buying Russian oil are also 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 Mr Trump was supposed to visit India for that, but 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 the 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. Just 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.”
