PM Modi, Putin to hold both private, extended talks on Tuesday: Kremlin

President Vladimir Putin will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, both one-on-one and with delegations, a top Russian official said on Monday.

"Around noon, Putin and Modi will start talking. We expect that there will be a private conversation, as well as Russian-Indian talks over an official breakfast, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the state-owned TASS news agency.

On Tuesday, Modi will co-chair the 22nd India-Russia annual summit with President Putin.

The two leaders, however, will not make any statements to the press afterwards, the Kremlin spokesman added.

"No joint communication with the media is foreseen," he said. "But we expect an extended exchange of views at both the private and extended sessions, which will largely compensate for the lack of statements to the media."

Speaking about Putin and Modi's expected informal meeting later this evening, the Kremlin spokesman did not clarify where exactly it will take place. He also did not mention Ukraine in the upcoming talks.

"Before the meeting takes place, it is hardly possible to talk about it. We will keep you informed on all the details, the Kremlin spokesman said.
 

"Today, the leaders will speak informally and the official part of the visit - official talks - will take place tomorrow," he said.

When asked whether Moscow has prepared any surprises for the Indian leader, the Kremlin spokesman said, "Our task is not to prepare surprises but to create an atmosphere for a substantive conversation."

Modi arrived here on Monday on his first trip to Russia since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The focus of the 22nd India-Russia annual summit is likely to be boosting bilateral cooperation in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges. The Ukraine conflict is set to figure in the discussions.

It is Modi's first trip to Russia since 2019, the first after the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022 and the first in Modi's third term as the prime minister.

The annual summit between the prime minister of India and the president of Russia is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The annual summits are held alternatively in India and Russia.

The last summit was held on December 6, 2021, in New Delhi. President Putin had visited India to attend the summit.