Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi on Thursday for a tightly packed two-day state visit, marked by ceremony and pageantry but focused on core business between the two countries.

A traditional guard of honour will be presented by the armed forces in the forecourt of the iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan. A presidential banquet will be hosted, followed by substantive talks on trade, aviation, defence and business.

The visit and its outcome are being closely watched across Western capitals and come at a time when India faces pressure from the US and its NATO allies over its ties with Russia.

For New Delhi, it is a show of strategic autonomy rather than alignment with either the US-led bloc or Russia. The Russian President will be in India (December 4-5) for the 23rd leaders’

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