Nepal, Dec. 4 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India on December 4-5 to attend the 23rd annual bilateral summit, which was instituted in 2000. The two countries elevated their relationship to a 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' in 2010. It is Putin's first visit to India after the Ukraine war. This visit is notably significant as it is taking place at a time when India's relationship with the United States is seeing a downturn.

Western countries have long criticised India for purchasing Russian oil, and White House deputy chief Stephen Miller even went so far as to accuse India of funding the war in Ukraine, as Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs in August this year. Yet India has maintained that it retains strate...