Vladimir Putin aide's trip to help boost India-Russia ties

NEW DELHI: India and Russia look to intensify inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation with a visit to India this week by state duma (lower house of Parliament) chairman Vyacheslav Volodin. In the annual summit meeting last year in Moscow, PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin had underlined the importance of regular meetings of Inter-Parliamentary Commission and Parliamentary Friendship Groups of both Houses as a valuable component of India-Russia relations.
Ahead of his departure, Volodin, a close aide of Putin, said he will have important meetings and negotiations during his visit to India.
His visit comes ahead of a likely visit by Putin to India for the annual summit later this year. Putin was expected to travel to India early this year but the two sides are yet to finalise dates for what will be his first visit to India since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in Feb 2022.
Even in the middle of a complex geopolitical situation, and its focus on ties with the US, India has continued to maintain strong ties with Moscow, especially in areas like defence, security and trade.
Modi will travel to France next week for an AI summit for which US President Donald Trump is also invited. India and the US are looking to finalise a visit by Modi to the US next week for a summit meeting with Trump, in case the president doesn't travel to France for the AI meeting. While Modi will host Putin this year, he will also receive Quad leaders for a summit where Russia's actions in Ukraine will be a significant talking point.
"Attempts by Washington and Brussels to isolate Russia from the rest of the world have failed. India is a strategic partner. We have long-standing relations of trust and mutually beneficial cooperation with it," said Volodin, ahead of his visit to India. "For our part, we will try to intensify interaction within the parliamentary dimension," he added.