This is the Club’s third annual Russian-Indian conference. Since its inception, it has become a platform for in-depth intellectual exchange, allowing experts to discuss the development of bilateral relations between Russia and India, as well as the broader geopolitical situation.
Programme of the Russia-India Conference
of the Valdai Discussion Club and
the Vivekananda International Foundation
“India–Russia in a Changing Global Order: Strategic Autonomy, Security,
and Partnership in the 21st Century”
New Delhi, India, February 4, 2026
February 4, Wednesday
10:00 – 10:30 Opening Session
10:30 – 12:00 Session 1. Navigating Strategic Complexities: Indian and Russian Approaches
As geopolitical competition intensifies, particularly between the United States and China, India and Russia face distinct but interlinked strategic challenges. This session will explore how both nations can conceptualise and preserve their strategic autonomy in the context of shifting global balance of forces and interests, and how to build bilateral and international relations. The participants will also discuss the prospects of multipolarity within the framework of BRICS+, SCO, G20, EAEU, UN, as well as security trends in Eurasia. The purpose of the discussion is to identify mutual interests, structural constraints, and opportunities for closer policy coordination.
Guiding Questions
1. How do India and Russia define and operationalise strategic autonomy amid changing dynamics of US–China relations?
2. Where do New Delhi and Moscow’s approaches toward Washington and Beijing converge, and where do they diverge?
3. What scope exists for India–Russia coordination in addressing security challenges in Eurasia, especially in Central Asia and Afghanistan?
4. How do differing interpretations of the Indo-Pacific and Eurasian integration influence bilateral strategic cooperation?
5. What joint initiatives or diplomatic mechanisms can India and Russia pursue to strengthen multipolarity and regional stability?
12:15 – 14:15 Session 2. Emerging Trajectory of India–Russia Relations: Outcomes of Recent High-Level Visits
One of the most important results of the recent high-level bilateral contacts between Russia and India—Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi in 2025 and Narendra Modi’s trip to Moscow in 2024—was to elevate the longstanding cooperation between the two countries to the status of a special privileged strategic partnership. The leaders also outlined a number of vectors for further joint development, including in the field of regional security. The session participants will discuss how to translate this political message into meaningful and diverse cooperation. The challenges related to Western sanctions, global economic restructuring and the transformation of regional security will also be considered.
Guiding Questions
1. What practical results can the bilateral arrangements and agreements outlined during the meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi in New Delhi in 2025 lead to in the defence, technology and economic sectors?
2. Which sectors offer the highest potential for India–Russia joint production, innovation, and co-development in the next decade?
3. How can both countries strengthen connectivity corridors—INSTC and Chennai–Vladivostok—to support trade expansion and logistical resilience?
4. What new financial, regulatory or institutional mechanisms are required to mitigate the impact of sanctions and global supply-chain disruptions?
5. How can India and Russia deepen scientific and technological cooperation?
6. PM Modi, in the SCO summit in Tianjin in 2025, proposed to create a Civilizational Dialogue Forum for strengthening people-to-people connections. In this context, how can India and Russia, as civilizational states, cooperate bilaterally and in multilateral forums such as the SCO?
15:30 – 16:30 Session 3. Presentation of the Valdai Discussion Club’s Report “Russia – India: Prospects and Constraints for Technology Cooperation” (LIVE: English)
The Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.
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