Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Russia, likely in July, a Russian official and Indian and Russian media said on Tuesday.
“I can confirm that we are preparing for the visit of the Indian Prime Minister,” said Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He did not give a date, but the Russian news agency TASS reported that the visit would take place on July 8 and 9.
There was no confirmation from the Indian government, but the Indian news agency PTI wrote to diplomatic sources that a visit by Modi to Moscow was being considered in early July.
A trip to Russia would be Modi’s second trip abroad after his re-election as prime minister earlier this month. His first trip was to the top of the Group of Seven (G7) in Italy in mid-June.
Experts say the timing of a Russian visit points to the importance Delhi attaches to ties with Moscow.
India is neutral in Russia’s war against Ukraine. This would be Modi’s first visit to Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, as he visited earlier in 2019.
