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Putin, Modi Agree to Expand and Widen India-Russia Trade, Strengthen Friendship

05 December 2025, India, New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian President Droupadhi Murmu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Kremlin/dpa)
05 December 2025, India, New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian President Droupadhi Murmu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Kremlin/dpa)
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Putin, Modi Agree to Expand and Widen India-Russia Trade, Strengthen Friendship

05 December 2025, India, New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian President Droupadhi Murmu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Kremlin/dpa)
05 December 2025, India, New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian President Droupadhi Murmu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Kremlin/dpa)

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered India uninterrupted fuel supplies on Friday, eliciting a cautious response even as he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to expand trade and defense ties between countries with decades-old ties.

India, the world's top buyer of Russian arms and seaborne oil, has rolled out the red carpet for Putin during his two-day state visit, his first to New Delhi since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But New Delhi is also in talks with the US on a trade deal to cut punitive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on its goods over India's purchases of Russian oil.

India's energy imports are expected to fall to a three-year-low this month following US tariffs and sanctions. Russia has said it wants to import more Indian goods in an effort to grow trade to $100 billion by 2030.

INDIA CAUTIOUS ON OIL IMPORTS

Putin said Moscow was ready to continue ensuring "uninterrupted fuel supplies" to India, following up on comments on Thursday questioning US pressure on India to curb oil purchases from Russia.

India appeared cautious about the offer.

Asked about the future of energy trade between the two countries, India's foreign secretary said Indian energy companies take decisions based on "evolving market dynamics" and "commercial issues that they confront while sourcing their supplies", indicating the pressures of sanctions and prices.

Energy cooperation between the two countries continues within this framework, Vikram Misri told a media briefing. Underlining this caution, Indian state refiners Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp have placed January orders for the loading of Russian oil from non-sanctioned suppliers due to widening discounts, Reuters reported on Friday.

TIES HAVE 'STOOD TEST OF TIME', SAYS MODI

Describing India's enduring partnership with Russia as "a guiding star", Modi said: "Based on mutual respect and deep trust, these relations have always stood the test of time."

"We have agreed on an economic cooperation program for the period up to 2030. This will make our trade and investment more diversified, balanced, and sustainable," he told reporters, with Putin by his side.

Modi, who warmly embraced Putin on the airport tarmac when he arrived on Thursday, also reiterated India's support for a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.

A joint statement issued following the summit said: "The leaders emphasized that in the current complex, tense, and uncertain geopolitical situation, Russian-Indian ties remain resilient to external pressure."

21-GUN SALUTE

Putin received a ceremonial welcome on Friday on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the colonial-era presidential palace, with a 21-gun salute as his convoy drove in.

A large business and government delegation has accompanied Putin.

Among the deals signed, the two countries agreed to help Indians move to Russia for work, to set up a joint venture fertilizer plant in Russia, and boost cooperation in agriculture, healthcare and shipping.

They also agreed to reshape their defense ties to take account of New Delhi's push for self-reliance through joint research and development, as well as the production of advanced defense platforms. This would include joint production in India of spare parts, components, assemblies, and other products for servicing Russian weapons and military equipment.

PUTIN QUESTIONS WASHINGTON

In an interview with broadcaster India Today aired on Thursday, Putin challenged US pressure on India not to buy Russian fuel.

"If the US has the right to buy our (nuclear) fuel, why shouldn't India have the same privilege?" he said, adding that he was ready to discuss the matter with Trump.

India has said Trump's tariffs are unjustified and unreasonable, noting continued US trade with Moscow.

The US and European Union still import billions of dollars worth of Russian energy and commodities, ranging from liquefied natural gas to enriched uranium, despite economic sanctions.

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World

Extreme Weather in Afghanistan Leaves 17 People Dead, Authorities Say

Locals inspect a damaged house following floods, landslides and thunderstorms in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP)
Locals inspect a damaged house following floods, landslides and thunderstorms in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP)
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Extreme Weather in Afghanistan Leaves 17 People Dead, Authorities Say

Locals inspect a damaged house following floods, landslides and thunderstorms in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP)
Locals inspect a damaged house following floods, landslides and thunderstorms in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP)

Severe flooding, a landslide and thunderstorms in parts of Afghanistan left 17 people dead and 26 injured over the last 24 hours, with more heavy rainfall predicted, authorities said Sunday, the latest casualties from extreme weather in the country this season.

The number of casualties could increase as crews from the country’s National Disaster Management Authority survey the affected areas, the authority’s spokesman, Yousuf Hammad, said in a statement. Thirteen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, mostly in the western, central and northwestern parts of the country, were affected.

The severe weather also left 147 homes either completely or partially destroyed, wiped out 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) of roads and destroyed agricultural land and irrigation canals and businesses, Hammad said. In all, he said, 530 families were affected.

Heavy rainfall was also forecast to affect eastern and central parts of the country Monday, and Hammad warned flooding was also possible in those areas. The disaster management authority warned residents to avoid river banks and areas at risk of flooding in those regions, and ordered local officials to be on standby to provide assistance.

Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.

Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, with snow and heavy rain that trigger flash floods, often killing dozens, or even hundreds, of people at a time. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods.

Decades of conflict, coupled with poor infrastructure, a struggling economy, deforestation and the intensifying effects of climate change have amplified the impact of such disasters, particularly in remote areas where many homes are built of mud and offer limited protection against sudden deluges or heavy snowfall.

World

Iran Accuses US of Ground Assault Plans as Pakistan Hosts Regional Talks

Members of the media work amid wreckage of vehicles at an auto service center in Tehran, Iran, 28 March 2026. (EPA)
Members of the media work amid wreckage of vehicles at an auto service center in Tehran, Iran, 28 March 2026. (EPA)
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Iran Accuses US of Ground Assault Plans as Pakistan Hosts Regional Talks

Members of the media work amid wreckage of vehicles at an auto service center in Tehran, Iran, 28 March 2026. (EPA)
Members of the media work amid wreckage of vehicles at an auto service center in Tehran, Iran, 28 March 2026. (EPA)

Iran said it was ready to respond to a US ground attack, accusing Washington on Sunday of preparing a land assault even as the Trump administration sought talks and as regional powers met in Pakistan to try to end the conflict.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt met in Islamabad to discuss ways to halt the Iran war, which has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies.

The ministers exchanged views on the severe economic repercussions of the military escalation in the region, its impact on international navigation, supply chains and food security, as well as its implications for energy security in light of rising oil prices, Egypt's foreign ministry said.

As the conflict entered its second month, Israel's military said it carried overnight strikes on Tehran, targeting what it described as a facility producing critical components for ballistic missiles and a weapons production and storage site.

Iran launched multiple missile salvos at Israel on Sunday, sending millions of people across the country into shelters. Israel's fire and rescue service said a blaze had broken out in an industrial area in the country's south after an "impact".

Chemical manufacturing and industrial plants, as well as a hazardous waste treatment facility, are located in the industrial area. It was not immediately clear ‌if a missile had hit ‌the area, or if the fire was caused by debris from an interception.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused the US ‌of sending ⁠messages about possible ⁠negotiations while at the same time secretly planning to send in troops, adding that Tehran was ready to respond if US soldiers were deployed.

"As long as the Americans seek Iran's surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation," he said in a message to the nation.

The war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the Middle East, with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launching on Saturday their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict.

The assault points to a potential new threat to global shipping, already hit by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, previously a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

US MARINES START ARRIVING IN MIDDLE EAST

Washington has dispatched thousands of Marines to the Middle East, with the first of two contingents arriving on Friday aboard an amphibious assault ship, the US military has said.

The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying the Pentagon was ⁠preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, adding that it was not yet clear if President Donald Trump would approve ‌such plans.

Reuters has reported that the Pentagon has considered military options that could include ground forces.

Trump faces a stark choice ‌between seeking a negotiated exit or escalating militarily that risks a protracted crisis, and would likely weigh further on his already low approval ratings.

"President Trump has poor options all around to end ‌the war," said Jonathan Panikoff, former US deputy national intelligence officer for the Middle East.

"Part of the challenge is the lack of clarity related to what a satisfactory outcome would ‌be," Panikoff added.

Pakistan, which along with Türkiye and Egypt has been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran, was hosting four-nation talks and looking for proposals that could bring the two sides together, a Pakistani foreign ministry official said.

The countries meeting in Pakistan have floated proposals to Washington tied to maritime traffic and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as part of wider efforts to stabilize shipping flows.

Washington said last week it had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan, with a proposal to reopen the waterway and restrict Iran's nuclear program, but Tehran has rejected the list and put ‌forward proposals of its own.

ISRAEL HITS DOZENS OF TARGETS ACROSS IRAN

An Israeli official said Israel would continue carrying out strikes against Iran on what were described as military targets, adding there was no intention to scale back the campaign ahead of ⁠any possible talks between Washington and Tehran.

Israel said ⁠on Sunday it had targeted Tehran's weapons manufacturing infrastructure, including dozens of storage and production sites the day before.

A building housing Qatar's Al-Araby TV in Tehran was hit on Sunday, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported, with video showing walls and windows blown out of the multi-storey block.

"The missile hit. The ceiling and everything fell on our heads. Unfortunately, we couldn't continue to work. It was a real miracle we survived," said Al Araby camera operator Mohammadreza Shademan. "There was no military target here."

Iran continued attacks on several Gulf states, and air defenses shot down a drone near the residence of the leader of the Iraqi Kurdish ruling party in Erbil early on Sunday, security sources said.

Another drone strike targeted the home of the president of Iraq's Kurdistan region a day earlier, the sources added.

Meanwhile, there is concern over shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea after Yemen's Houthis entered the fray by targeting Israel.

During the Gaza war the Houthis also hit ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime choke point leading to the Suez Canal. Analysts say renewed attacks there would pile further pressure on the world economy.

With US midterm elections due in November, the increasingly unpopular war has weighed on Trump's Republican Party. Demonstrators took to city streets across the US on Saturday in protests against the conflict.

Trump has threatened to hit power stations and other energy infrastructure if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, though he has extended a deadline by 10 days.

A European diplomat warned that any further military escalation could make it harder to bring the two sides together, potentially delaying the possibility by weeks, if not longer.

Iranian threats against ships have kept most oil tankers from attempting the waterway. Iran has agreed to let an additional 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels pass through the strait, with two ships permitted to transit daily, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said.

World

Pakistan Hosts Saudi, Türkiye, Egypt FMs for Talks on Middle East War

Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters)
Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters)
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Pakistan Hosts Saudi, Türkiye, Egypt FMs for Talks on Middle East War

Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters)
Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters)

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye on Sunday held talks about trying to end the war in the Middle East, as Islamabad acts as a go-between between the United States and Iran.

The four-way meeting between the top diplomats of the Muslim nations lasted several hours in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as their war drags on, relaying messages between the two sides.

It is seeking to capitalize on its longstanding links with Tehran and close contacts in the Gulf, and the personal rapport that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir have struck up with US President Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the talks, held under tight security at his ministry but without any US, Israeli or Iranian representation, came a "critical moment".

"Our candid and constructive discussions focus on the evolving regional situation and advancing peace and stability, while strengthening our partnership and deepening cooperation," he wrote on X.

Dar, who is also Pakistan's deputy prime minister, held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts -- Badr Abdelatty from Egypt, Hakan Fidan from Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.

All three visitors also met Munir.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a mutual defense pact and in another meeting, Sharif told Prince Faisal that Riyadh had shown "remarkable restraint" in the crisis.

"While emphasizing the Kingdom's leadership role in the Muslim Ummah (worldwide community), the Prime Minister stressed upon the need to forge unity within the Islamic countries at this critical time," a statement read.

- 'Event planner' -

Tehran has refused to admit to holding official talks with Washington but has passed a response to Trump's 15-point plan to end the war via Islamabad, according to an anonymous source cited by the Iranian Tasnim news agency.

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Friday he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan "very soon", without revealing his source.

Shuja Nawaz, founder director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council, said Pakistan had taken on a "challenging task" in trying to get Washington and Tehran to agree to talks.

"It could only do this with Saudi blessing," Nawaz, author of "The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighborhood", told AFP.

"The real challenge for Pakistan is to bring together a single person in the White House who changes his mind frequently and an Iranian government that is debating whether to fight a long war or find an end to its economy being further devastated.

"Israeli autonomous decision-making will further complicate any Trump decision to claim victory and end a conflict that is hurting his popularity at home. Pakistan has limited leverage over both the US and Iran; none with Israel.

"Will it remain an event planner only?"

Sharif on Saturday said he had a detailed telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian lasting over one hour, detailing Pakistan's "ongoing diplomatic outreach".

Dar also said late Saturday that Iran had allowed 20 more Pakistani-flagged vessels -- or two ships daily -- to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, easing fears of an imminent fuel crisis.

"Dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward," he wrote on X, tagging US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.