(MENAFN) Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has ratified a military cooperation agreement with India ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit, reports say. The treaty was approved during a plenary session on Tuesday.

The agreement is designed to facilitate joint armed forces exercises, as well as rescue and humanitarian operations, allowing both countries to legally deploy troops and equipment on each other’s territory.

Putin is scheduled 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 meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, with defense cooperation anticipated to be a major focus.

Russia and India have maintained defense partnerships since the early 1960s, and New Delhi encourages collaboration with foreign defense firms, including Russian companies, to support Modi’s “Make in India” initiative.

A Kremlin statement emphasized the visit’s significance, saying, “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.”

Modi and Putin last met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China, in September. India’s Defense Ministry is reportedly seeking to acquire 300 missiles for its Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to replenish stockpiles following its confrontation with Pakistan in May. The Indian government views Russian missile technology as critical for maintaining airpower balance with neighboring countries, and Modi has praised the S-400 systems’ capabilities during the military standoff.

MENAFN03122025000045017640ID1110431387