Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to discuss procedures for smooth money transfers between the two countries at their upcoming discussions in Moscow, according to Indian The Economic Times, citing sources.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Russia next Monday and Tuesday, the Kremlin announced on Thursday. 

The two leaders will discuss “prospects for further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations, as well as relevant issues on the international and regional agenda,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

According to the source, the two presidents are also scheduled to launch a mechanism that would allow visitors and students to use their national currencies when visiting, such as RuPay cards in Russia and Mir cards in India.

Moscow and Delhi have reached a 60% usage of national currencies in commerce; nevertheless, the newspaper still needs to develop a faster and easier means to move money, particularly in light of Russia's ban on SWIFT, the newspaper claimed.

According to the article, the next conference would also boost Russian-Indian cooperative defense manufacturing.

The development of Indian-Russian relations

Russia and India have had strong bilateral relations since the Cold War, and New Delhi has acted as Moscow's key trading partner since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. However, the relationship between the two countries has seen tension due to Russia's close developments with India's primary competitor, China.

New Delhi has become a prominent purchaser of Russian maritime oil amid Western sanctions on Moscow. Trade between India and Russia surged to $65.7 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2024, a notable 33% rise from the preceding year.

India and Russia are reportedly working together to ensure year-round access to the Northern Sea Route, which spans Russia's northern coast and serves as the shortest shipping route between East Asia and Europe. Their goal is to enhance the transportation of goods to emerging markets by utilizing trade routes effectively.

Moreover, both nations aim to increase their trade volumes by utilizing the Vladivostok-Chennai maritime route, which connects Russia's Far East with southern India.