PM Modi, Russian President Putin to hold both private, extended talks on Tuesday: Kremlin

President Vladimir Putin is set to engage in comprehensive discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, including both one-on-one and delegation-level meetings.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Jul 8, 2024, 9:13 PM IST | Last Updated Jul 8, 2024, 9:13 PM IST

President Vladimir Putin is set to engage in comprehensive discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, including both one-on-one and delegation-level meetings, according to a senior Russian official on Monday.

"Around noon, Putin and Modi will start talking. We expect that there will be a private conversation, as well as Russian-Indian talks over an official breakfast,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the state-owned TASS news agency.

Prime Minister Modi will co-chair the 22nd India-Russia annual summit with President Putin on Tuesday. However, the Kremlin spokesman noted that the two leaders will not issue any statements to the press afterward.

"No joint communication with the media is foreseen," he said. "But we expect an extended exchange of views at both the private and extended sessions, which will largely compensate for the lack of statements to the media."

Regarding the anticipated informal meeting between Putin and Modi later this evening, the Kremlin spokesman did not specify the location. He also did not bring up Ukraine in the context of the upcoming discussions.

"Before the meeting takes place, it is hardly possible to talk about it. We will keep you informed on all the details,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

"Today, the leaders will speak informally and the official part of the visit - official talks - will take place tomorrow," he said.

When inquired if Moscow had any surprises planned for the Indian leader, the Kremlin spokesman responded, "Our task is not to prepare surprises but to create an atmosphere for a substantive conversation."

Modi arrived in Russia on Monday for his first visit since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began. The 22nd India-Russia annual summit will focus on enhancing bilateral cooperation in energy, security, trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges, with the Ukraine conflict also expected to be a topic of discussion.

This marks Modi's first trip to Russia since 2019, his first since the Ukraine conflict began in February 2022, and his first in his third term as Prime Minister.

The annual summit between the Prime Minister of India and the President of Russia represents the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two nations. These summits are held alternately in India and Russia. The last summit took place on December 6, 2021, in New Delhi, with President Putin visiting India for the event.

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