Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting on Monday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, marking an important moment in the ongoing India-Russia strategic partnership.
According to Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin foreign policy aide, both leaders will sit down for discussions immediately after the expanded “SCO Plus” meeting on September 1.
This engagement will be their first in-person meeting of 2025, though both leaders have maintained regular telephonic communication over the past months, reaffirming their commitment to enhanced geopolitical coordination and bilateral cooperation despite a complex international environment.
The significance of the meeting lies in many layers of context. Firstly, the ties between India and Russia are governed by a “special and privileged strategic partnership,” a framework officially recognised in December 2010. This year marks the 15th anniversary of that declaration, giving added diplomatic weight to the Modi-Putin interaction.
Both leaders are expected to reflect upon the trajectory of bilateral ties over the past decade and a half, while focusing on ways to further broaden cooperation in critical areas such as defence, energy, nuclear power, space, and trade.
Russia continues to be one of India’s key defence and energy partners, while New Delhi has also been engaging Moscow in discussions on diversifying the relationship into newer sectors such as technology, connectivity, and investment corridors
.Another major agenda point, according to Ushakov, will be preparations for President Putin’s upcoming state visit to India in December 2025. Such an annual high-level exchange is integral to the India-Russia diplomatic calendar and is expected to produce a comprehensive review of relations, potentially leading to new agreements and frameworks of cooperation.
Discussions in Tianjin are likely to set the groundwork for that visit by outlining areas of convergence and resolving outstanding issues.
Additionally, the timing of the bilateral meeting holds considerable geopolitical significance as it comes against the backdrop of shifts in global power alignments, sanctions-related economic challenges facing Russia, and India’s calibrated efforts to maintain multi-vector diplomacy with nations such as the U.S., the EU, and China, while continuing to preserve its long-standing strategic bond with Moscow.
On the multilateral stage, the meeting will be deeply embedded within the framework of the SCO Summit, which has become a vital platform for regional cooperation involving China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and several Central Asian states.
India and Russia share common interests in counterterrorism, regional connectivity, and stabilising Afghanistan, and their leaders are expected to coordinate positions during the summit discussions.
As the SCO expands its agenda to include economic integration and technological cooperation, Moscow and New Delhi see the grouping both as a forum to strengthen their regional standing and as a mechanism to balance wider global power equations.
The Modi-Putin meeting in Tianjin therefore symbolises more than just a routine bilateral interaction; it underscores the resilience and adaptability of the India-Russia relationship amid changing global trends.
With defence, energy security, trade diversification, and multipolar diplomacy high on the agenda, the discussions are poised to be a crucial step toward reinforcing strategic trust, planning future collaborations, and sending a strong signal of continuity in one of the world’s most enduring bilateral partnerships.
Based On A PTI Report
