PM Modi accepts Putin's invitation for 75th anniversary of Russia's victory in WW-II

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend 75th anniversary of the victory of Russian Federation in World War II next May in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Modi for the visit during their "warm and productive" meeting in Vladivostok earlier in the day.

"Prime Minister Modi and President Putin have just concluded their 20th annual summit. It was warm and productive," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told media persons.

"Prime Minister Modi has invited Putin for the next summit in India and he has also accepted President Putin's invitation to attend 75th anniversary of the victory of the Russian Federation and the erstwhile Soviet Union in World War II next May in Moscow," he added.

Upon his arrival in Russia, Modi met Putin and paid a visit to the 'Zvezda' Shipbuilding Complex. "In a very special gesture, Putin took the prime Minister by boat to Zvezda. The two leaders spent two hours together, discussing a whole range of issues," said Gokhale.

The two sides exchanged numerous agreements including military and technical cooperation, energy and science, LNG business and supplies, and natural gas.

These documents include a strategy for the enhancement of Russian-Indian trade, economic and investment cooperation and intergovernmental agreements on the joint production of spare parts and other items for Russian weapons and military equipment, as well as on cooperation in audiovisual co-production.

The two nations also signed documents over the expansion of cooperation in oil and gas sector, road transport and infrastructure for the development of maritime communications between Vladivostok and Chennai; investment cooperation including in the implementation of coking coal mining projects in the Russian Far East, the joint development of downstream LNG business and supplies, as well as cooperation in combating customs violations.

India and Russia are targeting USD 30 billion of annual trade by 2025.

"We have had a major breakthrough in the energy sector. This is a sector where we are looking to diversify our sources of supplies. We are increasingly finding it attractive to buy oil and gas from the Russian Federation," Gokhale added.

The Prime Minister, along with Putin, is slated to address the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on Thursday.