Sushma Swaraj receives Vladamir Putin; India, Russia to sign $5-billion deal on S-400 air defence systems

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj received Russian president Vladimir Putin on his arrival in India on Thursday. Putin is on a two-day state visit to attend the 19th India-Russia bilateral annual summit, which is scheduled to start on Friday. The signing of a deal for Russia’s S-400 Triumf air defence system is the key feature of the visit.

Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for his two-day visit to India. He was received by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. pic.twitter.com/sNUWyS1ZkJ

— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2018

On Friday, the Russian president will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House around 11.30 am. The two are slated to discuss a number of key regional and global topics, including the US sanctions on Iran oil. Following an exchange of agreements and press statements, Putin will arrive at the ITC Maurya Hotel, where the India-Russia Business Summit is scheduled to take place around 3.30 pm. He is also scheduled to interact with a group of talented children. Putin will then meet his Indian counterpart President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Russian President will emplane for his return to Russia around 6 pm in the evening. A number of crucial energy deals are slated to be signed by the two countries during the bilateral summit. India’s state-owned ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) may sign a pact with Gazprom, industry sources told Sputnik. OVL already has stakes in three operational projects in Russia. Also, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov had earlier confirmed that a contract for the supply of five regiments of Russia’s S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems to India worth $5 billion will be signed during the Russian president’s visit. The last India-Russia bilateral summit was held in Russia on 1 June, 2017.