In a major development amid rising tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s invitation to visit India during their telephonic conversation on Monday, the Kremlin confirmed.
Putin is expected to visit India during the Annual Summit between the two nations later this year.
A statement issued by the Russian Embassy in India said: “The Indian leader confirmed the invitation to the Russian President to visit India for the traditional annual bilateral summit. The invitation was accepted with gratitude.”
Russia Condemns Pahalgam Attack
During the conversation, Putin condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 people, mostly non-Muslim tourists.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Putin emphasised that the perpetrators of the ‘heinous attack’ and their supporters must be brought to justice.
In an X post, Jaiswal wrote: “President Putin @KremlinRussia_E called PM
@narendramodi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam, India. He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice.”
Pahalgam Terror Attack
On April 22, 2025, the terrorists- belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)- asked the victims to chant Islamic verses (kalma) and made them pull down their pants to be sure of their their non-Muslim religious identities (read circumcision) before gunning them down before their families, including wives, children and daughters.
The massacre triggered nationwide outrage and escalated India-Pakistan tensions as New Delhi vowed to avenge the killings.
Victory Day
During the conversation, Modi congratulated Putin and the people of Russia on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day.
“Both leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM conveyed greetings to President Putin on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and invited him for the Annual Summit to be held in India later in the year,” he said.
(With inputs from IBNS)
