Russia Confirms President Putin's India Visit After Skipping G20 Summit In Brazil; Dates To Be Finalised Soon

After skipping the G20 Summit in Brazil, Russian President Vladimir Putin is all set to visit India soon to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per the Kremlin press secretary's announcement on Tuesday (19 November).

Press secretary for Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the precise dates of the visit will be worked out soon. As per the diplomatic sources cited by The Hindu, Putin may visit India next year.

"Of course, after two visits of PM Modi to Russia (in July and for BRICS Summit in October), now we have a visit of President Putin to India, so we're looking forward to it," Peskov said without revealing further details.

PM Modi extended an invitation to Putin to visit India during their discussions held in Moscow this past July. On 8 July, PM Modi traveled to Moscow and his visibly warm interactions drew attention in Washington and Kyiv.

Notably, Putin is under an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Under the ICC's governing treaty, member states are obligated to detain individuals with ICC warrants if they enter their territory.

However, since India has neither signed nor ratified the Rome Statute, the ICC's governing treaty, it is not bound by this requirement, meaning Putin cannot be arrested on Indian soil.

The ICC issued the warrants in March 2023, nearly a year after the Ukraine conflict began, naming both Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for child rights, for their alleged involvement in war crimes.