Jayanta Roy Chowdhury
New Delhi, Nov 28 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s planned visit to India on December 4 –5, 2025, comes at a moment when both countries are seeking to reinforce a long-standing strategic partnership strained, but not broken, by shifting global alignments.
The trip, for an annual India-Russia Summit, is expected to concentrate on advancing political, defence, nuclear and high-technology cooperation, areas that have historically anchored bilateral ties between the two and have become even more crucial in a world fractured by tariff wars, and renewed global tensions.
Indian and Russian officials are preparing a slate of defence agreements that would mark one of the most substantial military-technical packages in years.
New Delhi is expected to push ahead with plans to acquire more S-400 air defence systems after the platform’s performance during Operation Sindoor reinforced its value to India’s air defence grid.
Additional regiments could be worth several billion dollars and would extend a procurement line that has drawn U.S. scrutiny in the past but continues to be defended by Indian officials as essential for national security.
Maj Gen Arun Roye (Retd), a defence analyst who has worked in Russia, said, “The Indian defence relationship with Russia exists largely because of our need for committed and diversified defence partners, especially now that we live in a multi-polar world.”
The two sides are also expected to expand the BrahMos joint venture by approving work to extend the missile’s range, strengthening one of India’s most successful examples of Indo-Russian defence cooperation. The Indian Air Force’s Su-30MKI fleet is likely to undergo a new round of upgrades, with discussions focused on integrating long-range RVV-BD air-to-air missiles that would significantly enhance India’s beyond-visual-range capabilities.
More ambitious talks on licensed production of the Su-57E stealth fighter in India reflect New Delhi’s push for advanced technology transfers and its renewed emphasis on building domestic manufacturing capacity under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
These expectations fit within the two countries’ framework for military-technical cooperation through 2031, which prioritises joint production, logistics support and greater indigenisation. Maj Gen Roye, who is also Director of strategic think tank CENERS-K, said, “Going in for the Su-57E stealth fighter will be a political decision, but we should certainly look at that offer very seriously and we need to continue joint research and development with Russians in defense and other security related fields.”
Civil nuclear cooperation forms the second major pillar of Putin’s agenda, with both sides accelerating plans for new nuclear power projects.
Russia’s Rosatom and India’s Department of Atomic Energy are working on technical specifications for large VVER-1200 reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs), signalling a shift toward serial construction and higher localisation of components. India too has its own highly successful SMR programme.
Cooperation between the two is a possibility, officials who work in the sector believe.
The Kudankulam nuclear power project remains a showcase of collaboration, but both countries are now exploring broader cooperation across the nuclear fuel cycle, including closed fuel cycle technologies linked to Russia’s “Proryv” programme. Floating nuclear power plants and thorium-based designs under study add a layer of technological experimentation aligned with India’s clean-energy ambitions.
India is also a signatory to the nuclear power plant that Russia is building in Bangladesh, and has helped with various infrastructural equipment in the early stages.
India has also been a major buyer of Russian oil, which sparked trade tensions with the US, leading to a 50 per cent tariff on most Indian exports. However, a proposed peace deal in Ukraine and the fast-tracking of trade talks with Washington suggest that relations between the three countries are likely to be on even keel.
Rare earths and critical minerals, an area where supply chains are vulnerable to geopolitical pressure, are emerging as an additional strand of cooperation. India, looking to diversify beyond China, is considering joint ventures in Russia’s mineral-rich Far East, along with scientific partnerships between institutions such as CSIR-IMMT and Russian research entities.
Discussions include commercialising Russian rare earth processing technologies in India and setting up pilot projects that fit New Delhi’s strategy to develop domestic magnet and materials manufacturing for electric vehicles, clean energy systems and defence applications. For New Delhi, the visit reinforces the message that its relationship with Moscow remains relevant despite deepening ties with the United States and Europe. India continues to see Russia as a critical source of defence technology, spare parts and energy cooperation at a time when global supply chains are increasingly politicised. “For Moscow, strengthening ties with India is a way to counter its growing dependence on China, secure markets for defence and nuclear exports, and demonstrate that sanctions have not isolated it from major emerging economies,” pointed out Maj Gen Roye.
