One of the important topics of discussion between the two leaders is expected to be the Northern Sea Route and the Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor.
Key Points
- Modi and Putin are expected to discuss energy, shipping, defence, space and nuclear cooperation during bilateral talks.
- India's first Northern Sea Route voyage is expected in 2027, testing the corridor's commercial and logistical viability.
- Defence discussions could cover S-400 deliveries, Su-57 fighters and BrahMos missile upgrades amid deeper technology cooperation.
- India wants greater Russian market access for pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, agriculture, machinery and other manufactured products.
- Critical minerals, rare earths and space cooperation could expand the strategic partnership beyond traditional energy and defence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss cooperation in various sectors including energy, shipping, space and nuclear energy.
Putin landed in Delhi on Friday morning to participate in the BRICS summit and is expected to meet Modi ahead of the conference.
After the bilateral talks, Modi and Putin are expected to visit the INNOPROM exhibition, organised by the two countries' ministries of industry and trade.
One of the important topics of discussion between the two leaders is expected to be the Northern Sea Route and the Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor.
The Northern Sea Route is Russia's main shipping route in the Arctic, running along its northern coast. It forms an important part of Russia's plans to develop the Arctic as an international transport corridor.
The route is attracting increasing international interest as Russia develops its Arctic infrastructure and seeks to increase cargo traffic. Russia has said that India and Russia could sign an intergovernmental memorandum on cooperation in developing the Northern Sea Route before the end of this year, with a joint pilot voyage planned for 2027.
'Following their Chinese partners, who have upgraded their pilot routes to regular service, South Korea is already operating its own pilot route, and India will join the route next year. To consolidate this success, Rosatom is moving to the next strategic stage: concluding long-term contracts with shipping companies, for which balanced financial and economic models are already being developed,' Rosatom State Corporation, Russia's integrated nuclear power major said recently.
India's first voyage on the Northern Sea Route is expected next year and such a voyage could answer several practical questions.
Can Indian-owned or Indian-operated vessels use the route economically? What kind of ice-class vessels would be required? What are the insurance and escort costs? How reliable are Arctic ports and logistics facilities? Can the route be integrated with India's existing maritime network?
The answers would determine whether the Northern Sea Route remains a strategic possibility or develops into a commercially useful corridor.
India and Russia are in discussions to jointly build ice-class vessels capable of transporting cargo along the Northern Sea Route.
Vladimir Panov, special representative for Arctic development at Rosatom, had earlier said talks with India also include cooperation on training crews for advanced Arctic-class vessels.
Panov emphasised that the main goal of the collaboration is to boost cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route between the two countries.
The development of the Northern Sea Route is also being discussed alongside the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor and the International North-South Transport Corridor.
Defence
Talks on potential defence deals are also expected to figure between the heads of India and Russia.
The talks might feature deliveries of S-400 air defence systems, supply of Su-57 fighter aircraft and upgrades for BrahMos missiles.
Defence cooperation remains an important pillar of the India-Russia strategic partnership, although both countries are increasingly looking at joint production and technology cooperation rather than a conventional buyer-seller relationship.
Energy and nuclear power
In the energy area, apart from supplying oil, Russia is interested in having a stronger presence in the nuclear power sector, including cooperation on new nuclear projects and small modular reactors.
Nuclear energy has remained an important area of India-Russia cooperation, with Russian-designed reactors operating at Kudankulam.
With India seeking to substantially expand nuclear power generation, Moscow remains an important potential partner.
Trade imbalance
Trade balance is also expected to feature in the talks as India's large purchases of Russian oil have resulted in a skewed balance of trade.
India would like greater market access for its pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, agricultural products, machinery and other manufactured products.
The two countries have set an ambitious target of taking bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, while also seeking to increase two-way investment.
The challenge is to convert India's enormous purchase of Russian energy into a broader two-way economic relationship.
Critical minerals and rare earths
Critical minerals and rare-earth elements could also acquire greater importance.
As India seeks to reduce vulnerabilities in supply chains for electric vehicles, electronics, renewable energy equipment, batteries and advanced manufacturing, access to critical minerals has become a strategic issue.
Russia's enormous resource base makes cooperation in this area potentially valuable to India.
The two countries have already identified the Russian Far East and the Arctic as areas for greater trade and investment cooperation, including energy, mining, pharmaceuticals and maritime transport.
Space cooperation
Space cooperation is also expected to remain on the bilateral agenda.
Russia appears interested in supplying a semi-cryogenic rocket engine to India for use on the LVM3 launch vehicle, with discussions also reported to include technology transfer that could eventually enable the engine to be manufactured in India.
Such an arrangement could give India access to a powerful propulsion technology while also strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities.
The Russian engine is being considered even as ISRO is independently developing its own 2,000-kilonewton semi-cryogenic SE2000 engine and the SC120 propulsion stage, intended to replace the existing L110 core stage of LVM3 and increase the rocket's payload capability.
The Russian offer, if finalised, could therefore provide India with an additional propulsion option for LVM3 while potentially bringing Russian technology and manufacturing know-how into the country.
The two countries have traditionally cooperated in space, and the sector has acquired renewed importance as India expands its human spaceflight programme and seeks wider international cooperation in advanced space technologies.
At their meeting in Bishkek last month, Modi and Putin reviewed bilateral cooperation in political, economic, defence, energy, space, mobility and people-to-people ties.
Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
