Highly placed sources told India Narrative that the call will build on the substantial discussions between the two leaders that were held in the ornate Hyderabad House in the Indian capital on December 6.

 

Separately, Putin is also dispatching Russia's Deputy Prime Minister, Yury Borisov, to India next week. The sources said that Borisov will mainly follow-up, and begin working out the details on the two-major military agreements that New Delhi and Moscow have signed - one on the production of AK-203 rifles at a plant in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, and a framework ten-year plan on military-technical cooperation.

 

Besides, the delivery of assemblies of the exceptionally potent S-400 air defence missile systems have already begun, and the two regiments are expected to become fully operational early next year. The supplies of the S-400 are critical for restoring the balance of power with China. China has deployed its S-400 missiles in Ngari Gar Gunsa opposite Ladakh and Nyingchi air base facing Arunachal Pradesh.

 

Also Read: Will deployment of the S-400 missiles by India end the Ladakh stalemate with China?

 

The Russians have decided to majorly contribute to India's Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make-in-India projects by co-developing and manufacturing military equipment in India, for India and for the world.

 

Meanwhile, Russia's Tass news agency is reporting that Moscow is pushing for a summit between Russia, India and China. In fact, Putin raised this topic during his conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this week, the news agency said quoting Russian Presidential Aide, Yury Ushakov.

 

"The topic of cooperation in the Russia-India-China format was addressed," during the Putin-Xi videoconference, the Kremlin's spokesperson said. The leaders "agreed to continue exchanging opinions in this regard and to endeavour to hold the next summit within the RIC framework in the near future," Ushakov observed.

 

" Putin informed Xi Jinping about the visit to New Delhi on December 6 in this context," the Kremlin's spokesperson observed.

 

The RIC leaders held their last meeting in June 2019 on the side-lines of the G20 summit in Osaka.

 

In New Delhi, sources pointed out that it would be impossible to hold such a RIC summit unless the border tensions between India and China are resolved with the restoration of status quo ante that existed before May 2020, ahead of Chinese incursions in eastern Ladakh.