Putin invites PM Modi to Russia, says despite turmoil in world ties with India 'progressing incrementally'

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia next year as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the Russian leader at the Kremlin.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow pic.twitter.com/aD7LCyjzDD

— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2023

The Russian President said Moscow is “gratified to note that despite all the turmoil happening worldwide, the relationship with our true friend in Asia, India has been progressing incrementally”. “Definitely, we will be glad to see our dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, paying a visit to Russia, we will be able to discuss all the relevant, current issues and talk to the prospects of the Russian and Indian relationship,” NDTV quoted him as saying. On the situation in Ukraine, he said Russia knows the position of PM Modi and that he has repeatedly informed him about the situation around this conflict. “I am referring to his position, his attitude to complicated processes, including hot spots, the situation in Ukraine. I have repeatedly informed him about the situation around this conflict. I know about his striving to resolve this problem through peaceful means…,” said the Russian President. Talking about India-Russia trade, Putin said that our trade is growing for the second year running and at a confident pace, adding that this year, the growth rates were even higher than last year. “We are working together in high-tech areas, and we are very pleased to note that despite the current turbulences in the world, relations with our traditional friends in Asia, with India and the Indian people are making steady headway,” he added. On his part, Jaishankar said that India and Russia the substantial progress in trade, which is more than a turnover of $50 billion. “We believe that this is something whose potential is now only beginning to be visible. We must give it a more sustainable character, and we discussed how we should do that…,” said Jaishankar Jaishankar also informed Putin that PM Modi was looking forward  to visiting Russia next year. “I am sure that we will find a date which is mutually convenient for the political calendar of both countries. So it is certainly something that he (PM Modi) looks forward to,” said the External Affairs Minister, who is on a five-day official visit to Russia. Referring to the Lok Sabha election due next year, Putin said he wished “our friends every success” and stressed that “traditional conventional friendly ties” will persist between New Delhi and Moscow “no matter what the alignment of political forces” is. “The general elections in Parliament are scheduled for next year. We wish our friends every success in that and we hope that… anyway, no matter what the alignment of political forces would be, the traditional conventional friendly ties will persist between our nations,” NDTV quoted the Russian President as saying. Since the onset of the Ukraine conflict, India has consistently advocated for a resolution through dialogue. New Delhi has engaged in discussions with both President Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. During a meeting with the Ukrainian President earlier this year, Prime Minister Modi assured that India is committed to doing everything within its capacity to bring about a resolution to the conflict. In a 2021 meeting with Putin in Samarkand, the Prime Minister emphasized that the current era should not be defined by war. India has withstood Western pressure to align against Moscow and, despite international criticism, continued its purchase of Russian oil even after the imposition of sanctions by the West in response to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. In an interview with NDTV, Jaishankar revealed that the Prime Minister instructed him to take necessary actions for the benefit of the country. With inputs from agencies