Defence Agenda Dominates Putin's Upcoming India Visit, SU-57 and S-500 on Delhi's Wishlist

As India gears up for Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit on 4th and 5th December, 2025, for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, there is a lot that the two countries have to talk about. This will be President Putin's first visit to India after the war with Ukraine broke out, making the sojourn even more significant. While there are multiple agendas that could be on the table, the ones that rank high on the list of priorities is the matter of buying Russian jets and air defence systems including SU-57 Fighters and the S-500 air defense systems.

This move is driven by critical and strategic military requirements, regional power balance, and a long-standing defense relationship with Russia.

Other agendas on the table

Beyond the high-profile discussions about the SU-57 Fighters and the S-500 air defence systems, the visit is also expected to focus on finalizing pre-existing defense commitments, increasing economic co-operation, and promoting technology transfer. One of the more crucial agendas is also likely to be that of how to secure the continued flow of Russian crude oil to India which  become a complicated undertaking given the latest round of US and Western sanctions targeting major Russian oil entities, which has forced Indian refiners to temporarily reduce purchases.

MEA and Kremlin’s big expectations from the summit

The Ministry of External Affairs in India and the Kremlin are both looking forward to the summit and have some big expectations to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two nations. MEA, in its official press release about the event wrote, “The forthcoming State Visit will provide an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to review progress in bilateral relations, set the vision for strengthening the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.”

Kremlin too seems to be looking forward to the visit, asserting they were ‘actively preparing’ for the President's state visit to India. 
 

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