(MENAFN) Russia’s State Duma has approved a new military cooperation agreement with India just days before President Vladimir Putin travels to the country, according to reports. Lawmakers endorsed the pact during a plenary session on Tuesday.

The agreement is designed to enhance coordination between the two nations’ armed forces, simplifying joint exercises, rescue missions, and humanitarian operations. It also grants both sides the legal authority to deploy troops and military equipment on each other’s territory.

Putin is set to visit India on December 4–5, marking his tenth trip to the country and his first since 2021. During the visit, he is expected to hold wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key bilateral matters.

Defense collaboration — a longstanding pillar of India-Russia relations dating back to the early 1960s — is anticipated to feature prominently on the agenda. New Delhi has been urging defense companies from partner nations, including Russia, to cooperate with Indian manufacturers as part of Modi’s “Make in India” defense initiative.

In a statement last week, the Kremlin said, “This visit is of great importance, providing an opportunity to comprehensively discuss the extensive agenda of Russian-Indian relations of a special privileged strategic partnership in political, trade-economic, scientific-technological, and cultural-humanitarian fields, as well as to consider current international and regional issues.”

Putin and Modi last met in September on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China.

Reports say India’s Defense Ministry is currently seeking to procure 300 missiles for its Russian-built S-400 air defense systems to replenish stocks following heightened tensions with Pakistan in May. New Delhi views advanced Russian missile technology as essential for preserving regional airpower parity.

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