The Russian president has accepted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis invitation, the foreign minister has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make an official visit to India and preparations for the event are underway, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Thursday.

Lavrov revealed the plan during a video address to participants of the Russian International Affairs Council conference "Russia and India: Towards a new bilateral agenda."

"It is symbolic that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made Russia his first foreign visit following his re-election last year. Now, it's our turn to return the gesture," the top Russian diplomat stated.

Modi invited Putin to visit his country for their next bilateral meeting during last year's BRICS summit in Kazan.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov had previously stated that an invitation had been received and that Putin planned to visit India in 2025.

In January, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced that India and Russia are working on finalizing a timeline for Putin's visit.

The Russian president last visited India in December 2021, before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The most recent meeting between Putin and Modi took place in July last year when the Indian prime minister visited Moscow. Modi traveled to Russia for a second time in October, to take part in the BRICS summit in Kazan. During the visit he highlighted Russia's contributions to promoting multilateralism, sustainable development, and global governance reforms.

Last month, TASS cited sources in India's military circles claiming that Modi is "very likely" to attend this year's Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9 - which marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in World War II.

India has maintained strong relations with Russia, despite Western pressure related to the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi has opted not to join Western sanctions against Moscow and has expanded economic cooperation, particularly in the energy sector. India is now one of Russia's largest oil buyers, with bilateral trade exceeding $65 billion in the 2023-24 financial year - a fivefold rise from 2021. The countries have set a target of boosting trade to over $100 billion by 2030.

(RT.com)