Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India on Thursday for a two-day summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking his first visit to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The trip underscores a decades-old partnership that has persisted amid significant geopolitical upheaval and Western pressure.

Putin is scheduled to attend the 23rd India-Russia annual summit in New Delhi at Modi’s invitation. In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the leaders aim to strengthen their “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”—a formal designation adopted in 2010—and “exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.”

Ahead of the visit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized the need to shield bilateral trade from external pressure. “We have to secure our trade from pressure from abroad,” Peskov told reporters, noting that discussions are focused on establishing alternative payment mechanisms to circumvent Western sanctions.

The agenda also includes talks on defense cooperation, labor migration, and energy security. Peskov highlighted ongoing defense deals, including sales of the S-400 anti-aircraft systems, Sukhoi-57 fighter jets, and small modular nuclear reactors. India remains the world’s largest buyer of Russian weaponry.

Energy ties have deepened significantly since the Ukraine war began. Russia now supplies more than 35% of India’s crude oil imports, a dramatic increase from less than 2% before the conflict. However, recent U.S. sanctions targeting entities doing business with Russian oil producers have prompted Indian refiners to gradually diversify their suppliers, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler.

The visit comes as India faces U.S. tariffs for purchasing Russian oil, and as Moscow contends with an expanding array of Western sanctions. Both nations appear poised to reinforce economic and strategic collaboration despite these external challenges.

Also on the table is the issue of labor migration, with a growing number of Indian workers seeking employment in Russia—a topic expected to feature in bilateral discussions.