Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s priorities at talks in Moscow next week will include resolving India’s economic imbalance with Russia and the release of Indians caught up in the conflict in Ukraine, a senior official said on Friday.
He will travel to Russia on July 8-9 to meet President Vladimir Putin as part of the annual series of summits between New Delhi and Moscow that began in 2000.
There are concerns about the message India might send, as Modi’s visit coincides with the July 9-11 NATO summit in Washington. This conference will focus mainly on the war in Ukraine.
Indian External Affairs Minister Vinay Kwatra, the foreign ministry’s top diplomat, denied the link and said Modi’s visit was planned as part of the two countries’ summit calendar.
When asked about Modi’s visit, he told reporters, “This time the bilateral visit is just a planned priority and that’s it.”
Although New Delhi’s historic relationship with Moscow dates back to the Soviet Union, it has liberalized its economy and improved its geopolitical ties, recently drawing closer to the West, especially Washington.
India has stepped up purchases of cheap Russian oil, but has refrained from condemning Russia in its war in Ukraine, instead of urging its neighbors to resolve their disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.
