Russian president Vladimir Putin may be a bad guy in much of the western world, but for India he remains a friend. Coming to India on his annual sojourn, Putin has been invited to address a joint session of Parliament, an honour last given to US President Barack Obama in 2010. Coming a month before Obama's scheduled to travel to India as chief guest for Republic Day, the government is keen to give the Putin visit top billing.
During his first meeting with Putin, PM Narendra Modi had invited him to visit Kudankulam in south India, where a Russia-made nuclear reactor has finally gone online. But Putin is unlikely to make that trip. Instead, on his single-day summit here, Putin is planning to pack in a rash of appointments and sign a predictable number of agreements with India.
On top of that list would be energy and diamonds. ONGC might invest in more oilfields in Russia, while India and Russia may rewrite an older agreement for direct diamond trade. According to industry reports, 80% of the world's diamond cutting happens in India, and there is a proposal to set up a diamond hub in Mumbai. Russian diamond company, Alrosa, may be looking to tie up long-term deals.