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\n Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with NSA Ajit Doval on August 7, 2025.
\n | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement\n <\/p>\n
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kremlin on Thursday (August 7, 2025), officials here confirmed. Sources hinted at the significance of the meeting as it was held a day after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed additional tariffs on India, citing continued purchase of Russian oil by Indian entities.<\/p>\n
Earlier, speaking to Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, Mr. Doval said that plans for President Putin\u2019s India visit are \u201calmost finalised\u201d. During his exchanges, the NSA thanked Russia for supporting India\u00a0after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22 and said India\u2019s \u201cstrategic and special partnership\u201d with Russia is of enhanced importance as the world is passing through\u00a0a \u201ctumultuous situation\u201d.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe have got a very special relationship and long relationship and we highly value our strategic partnership. We have had high-level engagements and these high-level engagements have contributed very substantially. We are very excited to learn about the visit of His Excellency President Putin to India, I think the dates are almost finalised now,\u201d said Mr. Doval in his meeting with Mr. Shoigu. The Russian side, in a statement, said the two teams discussed bilateral cooperation in \u201cmultilateral formats and exchanged views on topical issues of international security.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a preparatory interaction on Wednesday (August 6, 2025), Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar sat down\u00a0with Russia\u2019s Deputy Defence Minister Colonel General Aleksandr Fomin and discussed bilateral cooperation in defence-related matters. Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that India-Russia military relationship will be \u201cfurther strengthened\u201d in the coming months. Ambassador Kumar accompanied Mr. Doval in the meeting with President Putin.<\/p>\n
The two sides have been in discussions since the beginning of the year to firm up the details of President Putin\u2019s visit to India. Mr. Putin last visited India on December 6, 2021, when India hosted the annual summit meeting at Hyderabad House. Two-and-a-half months later, on February 24, 2022, he ordered the \u201cspecial military operation\u201d against Ukraine which started the conflict that has lingered ever since. Prime Minister Modi visited Moscow in July 2024 when Russia hosted the 22nd\u00a0Russia-India Annual Summit. In May, Kremlin had confirmed that President Putin will\u00a0visit India this year for the next summit.<\/p>\n
The two sides intensified consultation under all official-level mechanisms in recent weeks and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also met his counterpart Sergey Lavrov twice in July \u2013 in Brazil during BRICS summit and in the Foreign Ministers-level meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tianjin, China.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more important thing is that the summit meetings have always been a watershed points. They have always given a new direction to our relationship,\u201d said Mr. Doval to Mr. Shoigu conveying India\u2019s readiness to host President Putin. <\/p>\n
The Ministry of External Affairs had responded to President Trump\u2019s latest declaration of tariffs on India as \u201cextremely unfortunate\u201d.<\/p>\n