U.S. government officials have been in Moscow this week, discussing a possible Ukrainian peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Putin himself was on the road Thursday — heading to India.
The last time Putin was in New Delhi was four years ago — about two months before Russia invaded Ukraine.
That war, and the global reaction to it, underlines a new phase in the long-standing relationship between Russia and India.
Much of the rest of the world has had an embargo on oil exported from Russia since soon after its invasion of Ukraine. But India, along with China, turned into one of the world's biggest buyers of Russian crude — at discounted prices.
This summer, the United States doubled tariffs on India because of those Russian oil imports — and recently added other penalties to those doing business with Russia's top two oil exporters.
While India's imports of Russian oil have come down, it's clear Prime Minister Narendra Modi has no plans to stop buying Russian oil.
Other discussions of trade, economics and military spending will be part of Putin's two-day visit to India.
Topics are likely to include Indian exports of agricultural goods and pharmaceuticals, and Russian exports from fertilizer to surface-to-air missile systems.
Another potential area for agreement: making it easier for Indian citizens to work in Russia.
