Russian President Vladimir Putin to arrive in New Delhi today

NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the 19th India-Russia bilateral annual summit, scheduled to begin the following day. The signing of a deal for Russia's S-400 Triumf air defence system is the key feature of the visit.

Putin will arrive at the national capital at around 6:30 PM and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in an hour, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed.

On October 05, the Russian President will hold delegation level talks with Prime Minister Modi at the Hyderabad House at around 11:30 AM. The two are slated to discuss a number of key regional and global topics, including the US sanctions on Iranian oil.

Following an exchange of agreements and press statements, Putin will arrive at the ITC Maurya Hotel, where the India-Russia Business Summit is scheduled to take place at around 3:30 PM. He is also scheduled to interact with a group of talented children.

Putin will then meet his Indian counterpart - President Ram Nath Kovind, at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The Russian President will emplane for his return to Russia at around 6:00 PM in the evening.

A number of crucial energy deals are slated to be signed by the two countries during the bilateral summit. India's state-owned ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) may sign a pact with Gazprom, industry sources told Sputnik. OVL already has stakes in three operational projects in Russia.

Also, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov had earlier confirmed that a contract for the supply of five regiments of Russia's S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems to India worth USD 5 billion will be signed during the Russian President's visit.

The last India-Russia bilateral summit was held in Russia on June 1, 2017.