Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov Arrives in New Delhi for High-Level Strategic Talks

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov has arrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit that comes at an important moment in the India-Russia relationship, with both sides preparing for a busy diplomatic calendar that includes the BRICS summit later this year. The visit is being seen as part of the broader effort to sustain high-level political coordination, deepen economic engagement, and shape the agenda for upcoming bilateral exchanges between the two countries.

According to the report, Manturov is scheduled to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and is also expected to meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. His role is especially significant because he co-chairs the annual India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation, one of the key institutional mechanisms overseeing bilateral cooperation.

The visit also carries strategic weight in the defence domain. Manturov is reported to be accompanied by a defence delegation, underlining the continuing importance of military-technical cooperation in the India-Russia partnership. The report links the talks to ongoing efforts by both countries to strengthen defence collaboration at a time when India continues its wider military modernisation drive.

Beyond defence, the visit is expected to help lay the groundwork for the diplomatic engagements ahead, including India’s hosting of the BRICS summit in September. The report says Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to participate in that summit, while the discussions in New Delhi may also help prepare the framework for a possible visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia later this year for the annual India-Russia summit.

Taken together, Manturov’s visit reflects the continuing depth of India-Russia ties across diplomacy, economics and security. At a time of shifting geopolitical alignments and intensified global competition, such high-level consultations indicate that both New Delhi and Moscow remain invested in maintaining regular strategic dialogue and preserving momentum in one of Eurasia’s most consequential bilateral relationships. This last point is an inference based on the senior-level meetings, the BRICS context, and the defence delegation described in the report.

Reference: AIR