Putin's Potential India Visit Signals Strengthening Ties Amid Tensions With US

Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit India next year, continuing the tradition of reciprocal annual visits between the nations' leaders. This visit remains unconfirmed. Diplomatic discussions touch upon the strong India-Russia relationship and geopolitical tensions, particularly regarding US support for Ukraine and Russia's updated nuclear policy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India next year as part of a structured arrangement between the two countries for reciprocal annual visits, diplomatic sources confirmed on Tuesday. However, despite the possibility, no final decision on the visit has been made.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the invitation during summit talks in Moscow in July, reinforcing ties by attending the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, last month. Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov hinted at the potential visit in a media interaction in Delhi, though he did not provide specific details or confirmations.

This news follows increasing geopolitical tensions as Peskov commented on the U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to target Russian territories with U.S.-supplied missiles, a move Russia views as an aggression. On the same day, Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine emphasizing a robust response to conventional attacks aided by nuclear states.

(With inputs from agencies.)