Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to India will reinforce the symbolic strength of bilateral ties and support incremental cooperation across defense, energy and trade, though India will likely maintain selective engagement with Russia as it navigates U.S. pressure and sanctions and continues its shift toward defense and technology diversification. Putin will visit India on Dec. 4-5 for the annual India-Russia summit, where he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russia and India have held summits each year since 2000, following the signing of the Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership, which created their highest-level institutionalized dialogue. These meetings, typically hosted alternately by each country, aim to deepen the strategic partnership through high-level discussions....
