Modi’s top councilor sees Putin in Moscow

(MENAFN) Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Ajit Doval, India’s National Security Adviser and senior aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Kremlin on Thursday, according to a Kremlin statement. The meeting was also attended by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, presidential aide Yury Ushakov, and India’s Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar.

Doval is in Moscow for high-level discussions with defense and security officials. He previously met Putin in St. Petersburg in September 2024, where they reviewed the strengthening partnership between their countries. During that visit, Putin praised the growing strategic ties and India’s progress under Modi’s leadership.

On Thursday, Doval held private talks with Shoigu and other officials. Shoigu highlighted the deep, longstanding friendship between Russia and India, calling their relationship “paramount” for Moscow. He emphasized the shared goal of building a fairer, more stable global order based on international law, while tackling contemporary challenges together.

Doval expressed India’s eagerness to host Putin in New Delhi later this year for their annual summit, noting the visit’s dates are nearly finalized. He described these summits as pivotal, consistently setting new directions for bilateral ties.

The visit comes amid escalating tensions between India and the US, with Washington imposing significant sanctions on India over its continued imports of Russian oil, accusing New Delhi of aiding Russia’s war efforts. India condemned the sanctions as unfair, pointing out that many other nations also import Russian energy to meet their national needs. India further criticized the US and EU for targeting its ties with Moscow while maintaining their own extensive trade with Russia across various sectors.

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