Key Points
- Free 30-day e-tourist visas and 30-day group tourist visas announced for Russian citizens to visit India.
- New migration and labour agreement to enable organized, better-paid work opportunities for Indians in Russia.
- Cooperation pacts in healthcare, medical education, food safety, shipbuilding and polar vessels under “Make in India”.
- Joint urea production plan to cut India’s fertilizer import dependence on Russia and stabilize supplies.
- Two new Indian consulates to open in Russia to boost trade, services and people-to-people contact.
- Leaders reviewed progress towards a $100 billion bilateral trade target and assured uninterrupted fuel supplies to India.
Bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Hyderabad House in New Delhi concluded with the exchange of several landmark agreements, described by both sides as a new phase in the long-standing India-Russia strategic partnership. The discussions covered a wide range of sectors, including energy, trade, connectivity, migration, education, health, food security and high technology, with an emphasis on making the relationship more balanced and sustainable over the long term.
At the joint press conference, PM Modi announced that Indian e-tourist visas will now be available free of charge for Russian citizens, with each visa valid for 30 days. Along with this, a 30-day group tourist visa facility has also been introduced to encourage larger tour groups and travel companies to bring Russian visitors to India, boosting tourism, aviation and hospitality-related revenues.
New Visa, Migration and Labour Mobility Framework
One of the most impactful outcomes of the summit was the agreement on Migration and Temporary Labour Movements, aimed at giving Indian workers a safer, more regulated route into the Russian job market. This framework will allow Indian professionals and skilled workers to travel in an organised manner under government-to-government arrangements, minimising exploitation and ensuring better salaries, social protections and clearer legal status.
The visa reforms and migration agreement together create a dual pathway: easing short-term tourist arrivals from Russia while enabling longer-term work and residency options for Indians in select Russian sectors. Officials indicated that priority areas could include construction, services, healthcare, IT and other skilled trades, with both sides coordinating standards, documentation and verification processes.
Boost to Healthcare, Medical Education and Food Security
An agreement on healthcare and medical education will see India and Russia expand cooperation between universities, hospitals and research institutions. This includes opportunities for student exchanges, joint medical research, training programs, and collaboration in areas such as telemedicine, pharmaceuticals and public health systems, helping both nations strengthen their human resources and healthcare infrastructure.
A separate agreement on food safety and standards is designed to streamline trade in agricultural and processed food products by harmonising quality norms and certifications. By aligning food safety protocols, India and Russia aim to reduce non-tariff barriers, speed up clearances at ports, and make it easier for exporters on both sides to access each other’s markets in grains, dairy, processed foods and other agri-commodities.
Shipbuilding, Polar Ships and Strategic Connectivity
Under the “Make in India” initiative, a new cooperation framework in shipbuilding will bring Russian technical expertise to Indian shipyards for the construction and modernisation of vessels. Russia will provide design support, technology and training, while India focuses on production and local capacity building, thereby generating employment and expanding its maritime industrial base.
A specific component of this cooperation relates to polar ships, including ice-class vessels, reflecting growing interest in the Northern Sea Route and Arctic connectivity. Joint work on such vessels could give Indian shipping and energy companies better access to alternative sea routes and cold-region infrastructure, complementing broader connectivity through corridors like the International North-South Transport Corridor, which provides a direct route from Belarus and Russia to the Indian Ocean.
Joint Fertiliser Production and Energy Security
Given India’s large annual imports of urea and other fertilisers from Russia, the two sides held detailed talks on shifting from a pure buyer–seller relationship towards joint production. The proposed arrangement would allow India and Russia to co-produce urea and related fertilisers, reducing India’s external dependence, securing stable supplies at predictable prices, and potentially enabling exports to third countries in the future.
Alongside fertilisers, President Putin assured India of uninterrupted fuel supplies, reaffirming Russia’s role as a major energy partner for crude oil, petroleum products and possibly LNG. The leaders also reviewed progress on nuclear energy cooperation, including ongoing collaboration on what is described as one of the world’s largest nuclear power projects being jointly developed by India and Russia, which is expected to play a key role in India’s clean energy transition.
Diplomatic Presence, Trade Targets and Media Cooperation
In a move that underlines the expanding agenda, India announced the decision to open two new Indian consulates in Russia. These additional consular offices will support businesses, students, tourists and the Indian diaspora, and facilitate smoother processing of visas, trade documents and citizen services in key Russian regions beyond the existing embassy and consulate network.
The leaders noted that India-Russia trade grew by around 12% last year and reiterated the shared objective of reaching a $100 billion annual trade volume in the coming years. To support this, both sides highlighted the importance of the new international transport corridors linking Eurasia directly with Indian ports, which are expected to cut transit time and logistics costs. There was also an announcement that Russia Today (RT) will enter the Indian media market, expanding the information and media cooperation pillar of the relationship.
10 Main Takeaways from the Modi–Putin Talks
- New shipbuilding cooperation in India with Russian technical support, including polar ships under “Make in India”.
- Free 30-day e-tourist visa for Russian citizens, along with a 30-day group tourist visa facility.
- Continued work towards a Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union to lower trade barriers.
- Decision to open two new Indian consulates in Russia to boost trade and consular services.
- Assurances from Putin on uninterrupted fuel and energy supplies to India.
- India–Russia trade registered around 12% growth last year, with momentum expected to continue.
- A shared target of $100 billion in bilateral trade to make economic ties more balanced and robust.
- Use of new international transport corridors, offering a direct land–sea route from Belarus and Russia to the Indian Ocean.
- Plan for the Russia Today (RT) channel to launch in the Indian media space, enhancing media and information links.
- Continued cooperation on building one of the world’s largest nuclear power plants, reinforcing long-term strategic and energy partnership.
These agreements and announcements indicate that India-Russia relations are set to move into a more diversified and future-oriented phase, combining traditional strengths in defence and energy with new pillars such as migration, tourism, education, shipbuilding and digital cooperation.
