Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Russia on 8 July and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, emphasizing that India “greatly cherishes” the friendship with Russia.
The visit coincided with a massive Russian missile strike on Ukraine, damaging the children’s hospital and residential buildings and killing over 30 people. It also happens during the NATO summit in Washington, which focused on supporting Ukraine amid the ongoing war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to Modi’s visit to Russia on X, expressing disappointment and calling it a “devastating blow to peace efforts” to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug “the world’s most bloody criminal” on such a day.
Upon Modi’s arrival, Putin greeted him as a “dear friend,” and the two leaders shared a hug, according to Kremlin media reports.
Modi toured Putin’s residence near Moscow ahead of official talks in the Kremlin scheduled for 9 July.
Modi expressed his gratitude for the hospitality and looked forward to further deepening the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between India and Russia.
The trip, which is Modi’s first visit to Russia in five years, is seen as an effort to dispel speculation about New Delhi’s rapprochement with Washington and reduce the influence of China, which Russia has recently gravitated towards.
Modi’s presence in Moscow allows Putin to demonstrate that Russia still has influential friends despite more than two years of Western efforts to isolate the country.
Earlier, the investigations revealed that Russia continuously recruits Indians with promises of jobs in Russia but instead coerces them into fighting against Ukraine. Despite the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation uncovering a human trafficking ring and arresting 35 individuals, significant repatriation progress remains elusive.
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