India, Dec. 3 -- When President Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi today for a State visit and the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, he will be reaffirming one of the world's most durable major partnerships. Few relationships have demonstrated the steadiness, trust and long-term strategic alignment that characterise India-Russia ties. At a time when global politics is marked by fracturing alignments and divisive sanctions regimes, the visit reinforces a legacy of friendship while recasting the partnership for what lies ahead.

At the core of this relationship lies the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, a mutually chosen designation that differentiates from all other strategic partnerships and is unique to our two c...