On December 5, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin will go to India to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 23rd annual India-Russia summit.
This will be Putin’s first trip to India since 2021, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and comes at a sensitive moment when India is reassessing its dependency on Russian oil imports amid U.S. and European sanctions.
The planned summit highlights the long-standing diplomatic and economic connections between India and Russia and takes place on the 25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership, which was inked in 2000.
In September 2025, India’s oil imports from Russia fell to 1.61 million barrels per day, a 16% year-over-year decrease, according to the most recent statistics from maritime intelligence company Kpler.
This cut follows three years of a dramatic rise in India’s imports of cheap Russian oil, which had become about one-third of the country’s total energy supply.
The drop might be an indication of India’s attempts to diversify its supply and hedge its energy risks in advance of any interruptions brought on by sanctions and tariffs levied by the US and the EU.
It is unclear if New Delhi will cut back on its oil imports in retaliation for the 25% penalty tax the U.S. has placed on India for importing Russian oil. Washington’s pressure on New Delhi to reduce oil imports under threat of penalties is reminiscent of India’s previous experiences with Iran and Venezuela.
India finally stopped buying crude from Venezuela and Iran in 2018, choosing instead to boost imports from the US and other countries. Depending on future discussions and changes in the global energy market, a similar course might be possible.
Washington’s actions have been criticized by Moscow as an effort to lessen competition in the oil market. Speaking at the Valdai debate conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the oil trade between India and Russia is a bilateral issue devoid of outside intervention. Lavrov also praised India’s insistence on sovereign decision-making and underlined that New Delhi has remained committed to a position driven by national interest and energy security.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev visited Delhi this week to meet with Prime Minister Modi about economic cooperation, especially agricultural trade and the long-awaited India-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), ahead of President Putin’s visit in December.
Before the summit, there will probably be another round of high-level negotiations, potentially with Foreign Minister Lavrov. With two phone conversations in August and September and an in-person meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, Modi and Putin have kept in close communication this year.
Numerous facets of bilateral cooperation, including defense agreements, connectivity initiatives, and resolving trade imbalances, are anticipated to be covered at the India-Russia summit. Russia continues to be one of India’s biggest defense suppliers in spite of the effects of the conflict in Ukraine.
It is anticipated that topics including knowledge transfer, collaborative weapons manufacture, and India’s ability to keep its military hardware of Russian provenance operationally ready will be discussed. Navigating the effects of continuing sanctions on defense contract supply chains and payment settlements is another challenge for both parties.
India’s decision on Russian imports is also influenced by the state of the world oil market. This week, OPEC+ proposed a production boost that might stabilize world prices and open up new supply alternatives. This trend could further reduce India’s dependency on Russian supply by making Middle Eastern and African oil more appealing as alternatives.
The significance of long-term relationships to both parties is demonstrated by the summit’s date, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the India-Russia Strategic Partnership. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, called the 2000 declaration a “milestone” that strengthened relations founded on respect for one another and consideration of one another’s interests.
The 2025 summit will give both nations a symbolic platform to restate their promises and reevaluate defense, energy, and economic dynamics in the context of a complicated global environment.
