Indian PM arrives in Russia on first visit since invasion of Ukraine began

India is a key buyer of Russian oil (AP)

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Moscow to begin a two-day visit, his first since Russia sent troops into Ukraine.

Mr Modi is set to have dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, to be followed by talks.

The Indian leader last travelled to Russia in 2019, when he attended a forum in the far eastern port of Vladivostok and met Mr Putin.

The leaders also saw each other in September 2022 in Uzbekistan, at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation bloc.

A memorable welcome in Moscow! I thank the Indian community for their affection. pic.twitter.com/acTHlLQ3Rs

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2024

Mr Modi posted photos of his arrival in Moscow on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, saying in both Russian and English that he was “looking forward to further deepening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between our nations, especially in futuristic areas of cooperation”.

“Stronger ties between our nations will greatly benefit our people,” he wrote.

Russia has had strong ties with India since the Cold War, and New Delhi’s importance as a key trading partner for Moscow has grown since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

China and India have become key buyers of Russian oil following sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies that shut most Western markets off to Russian exports.

Under Mr Modi’s leadership, India has avoided condemning Russia’s military action in Ukraine.