Putin to visit India in December, Kremlin says

The Kremlin announced Friday that President Vladimir Putin plans to travel to India in December and will discuss details with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of an international summit in China.

Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to visit India in December, the Kremlin said Friday, adding that he will discuss the trip with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday while both leaders are in China for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters the meeting will take place on the sidelines of the summit, where Putin is attending a series of bilateral talks.

Ushakov said the Moscow-New Delhi itinerary will be among items raised during Putin’s talks with Modi in China. The Russian leader is on a four-day visit to Beijing from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3 to attend the SCO summit, hold extensive talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and take part in a large military parade in the Chinese capital marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, according to the Kremlin.

Putin’s China trip includes multiple scheduled bilateral meetings. In addition to the planned conversation with Modi, Ushakov said the Russian president will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, among other leaders, while in Beijing. The SCO, which was established by China and Russia in 2001, is centered on security cooperation in Central Asia and the wider region and regularly draws heads of state from across Eurasia for summit-level discussions.

The Kremlin statement did not provide an exact date or agenda for the December India visit. Ushakov’s comments were delivered as Putin arrived in China to participate in summit activities and to mark the wartime anniversary at a massive parade in the Chinese capital, events that are likely to include a range of diplomatic encounters.

Diplomatic agenda in Beijing and ties with India

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit traditionally serves as a forum for leaders from Asia, Eurasia and beyond to conduct bilateral talks on the summit sidelines. For Putin, the China visit represents an opportunity to coordinate with Russia’s major partners and to pursue separate talks with leaders from countries where Moscow maintains strategic or economic ties.

India and Russia have maintained long-standing diplomatic relations encompassing defense, energy and political cooperation. While the Kremlin did not detail the topics expected to be discussed between Putin and Modi, past exchanges between Moscow and New Delhi have typically covered defense cooperation, energy projects and trade. The planned December visit would be one of several high-level contacts between the two countries in recent years.

In Beijing, Putin’s agenda is likewise expected to be wide-ranging. China and Russia have strengthened ties over the past decade, often coordinating on regional security issues and expanding economic links. Ushakov emphasized that Putin will hold “extensive talks” with Xi during the visit and will attend the large-scale military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II — an event that Beijing has used in recent years to highlight national history and to showcase military hardware.

Regional diplomacy and summit dynamics

The SCO was founded in 2001 with a primary focus on security cooperation in Central Asia and has since broadened its agenda to include political, economic and cultural cooperation among member states. Summits commonly feature bilateral meetings scheduled by leaders to discuss matters ranging from border management and counterterrorism to trade and infrastructure projects. Leaders often use the summit platform to coordinate positions and announce agreements that may have implications for regional alignments.

Ushakov’s announcement that Putin will meet Erdogan and Pezeshkian in Beijing underscores the multilateral nature of the summit and the opportunity it offers for parallel diplomatic exchanges. Turkey and Iran are regional actors whose relations with Russia have included both cooperation and competition on issues ranging from conflict mediation to energy. The Kremlin’s confirmation of a planned India trip places Moscow’s New Delhi relationship among the roster of bilateral ties Putin intends to advance while in China.

What was said and timing

Ushakov, identified by the Kremlin as Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, briefed reporters Friday on the Russian leader’s schedule and bilateral commitments. He said the discussion with Modi about the December visit would occur on Monday, during the SCO summit in Beijing, when both leaders are expected to be present for summit sessions and scheduled bilateral meetings.

The Kremlin’s announcement did not specify whether formal agreements or joint statements are planned for the December trip to India, nor did it outline which Indian ministries or agencies would participate in any negotiations. Moscow typically announces the details of state visits — including agendas, accompanying delegations and any bilateral accords — closer to the scheduled travel dates.

The Russian leader’s program in China extends across several days and includes summit attendance, high-level talks with Chinese officials and participation in commemorative events. The SCO summit provides a concentrated period for leaders to schedule multiple meetings in a short timeframe, which Russian officials have historically used to advance bilateral and multilateral priorities.

Diplomatic calendars and broader implications

State visits between Russia and India historically have included discussions on defense procurement, energy cooperation and economic partnerships. While the Kremlin offered limited detail in Friday’s announcement, the timing — a December visit to New Delhi announced during a major regional summit — aligns with diplomatic practice of leveraging multilateral gatherings to finalize or announce upcoming bilateral engagements.

The planned meetings with leaders from Turkey and Iran, as well as extended talks with China, reflect Russia’s active diplomatic engagement at the SCO summit. Ushakov’s briefing framed the China visit as a concentrated period for both commemorative and diplomatic activity, with the Beijing events serving as the immediate context in which the December India trip will be discussed.

The Kremlin’s announcement comes as leaders gather in Beijing for the SCO summit at the end of August and start of September, a forum that routinely brings together a mix of intergovernmental dialogue and behind-the-scenes diplomacy. Further details about Putin’s December travel to India are expected to be clarified following his planned meeting with Modi in Beijing.