Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia in 2026 for the 24th India–Russia Annual Summit, marking a renewed push to deepen their long-standing strategic partnership. The invitation was extended during Putin’s two-day state visit to India, which concluded with a detailed Joint Statement outlining key areas of cooperation.
According to the Joint Statement issued after the 23rd Annual Summit, both leaders expressed satisfaction over the growing intensity of bilateral engagement across diplomatic, economic and strategic domains. They welcomed a major diplomatic expansion — the opening of two new Indian Consulates General in Yekaterinburg and Kazan. Both sides said the new missions would bolster inter-regional partnerships, boost trade flows, and enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Energy continued to dominate the discussions, with Modi and Putin describing it as a “central pillar” of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. The two nations reviewed an extensive portfolio of joint activity across the energy spectrum — including cooperation in oil, refined petroleum products, petrochemicals, LNG and LPG infrastructure, upstream exploration, oilfield services, and emerging avenues like underground coal gasification (UCG). They also reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing and future nuclear energy projects, a sector that remains one of the strongest symbols of bilateral trust.
Both sides acknowledged that Indian and Russian companies are currently facing procedural and financial obstacles in some investment-led energy projects. They agreed to accelerate the resolution of these issues to ensure smoother operations and sustained investment growth.
The leaders also emphasised their satisfaction with the increased frequency of high-level dialogues since the previous summit, noting that consistent political engagement remains key to safeguarding long-term strategic cooperation.
