PM Modi, Putin set to meet at SCO Summit; another meeting likely this year

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said he expects to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, with the two leaders likely to meet again later this year as well.

During a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Putin said he hoped to see Modi “very soon” as planned within the framework of the SCO and asked the minister to convey his best wishes to the Indian Prime Minister, according to a statement released by the Kremlin.

Also read: Jaishankar meets Putin in Moscow, discusses bilateral ties and global developments


“Our schedule is such that we will probably be able to meet again this year,” Putin said, highlighting the longstanding strategic partnership between Russia and India.

Jaishankar conveyed PM Modi’s greetings to the Russian President and said the PMwas looking forward to meeting Putin at the SCO Summit. He also expressed hope that Putin would visit India for the BRICS Summit and the annual bilateral summit.

The two sides discussed expanding economic cooperation, including trade, energy, fertiliser supplies, nuclear energy and high-technology sectors. Putin said bilateral trade was growing this year after a slight decline last year, crediting PM Modi’s personal attention to strengthening ties with Russia.

The Russian President also said Moscow was increasing fertiliser supplies to India and was prepared to expand them further to support Indian agriculture.