Sonia Gandhi to meet Putin for trade talks

Indian Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi was set to meet with President Vladimir Putin today for talks on bilateral trade and co-operation.

Gandhi, the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, will also be discussing greater cultural cooperation between the two Cold War allies.

Indian President Abdul Kalam visited Moscow last month and Putin visited India in December amid Russian efforts to revive once-robust commercial relations.

Bilateral trade, excluding military purchases, fell to £941m (€1.4bn) in the year ending March 2004, down from £1.2bn (€1.8bn) in 1996.

India is a major buyer of Russian military hardware.