Putin's visit highlights Indian imports of discounted Russian oil in the face of US sanctions

NEW DELHI (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in India this week for a summit aimed at deepening economic, defense and energy ties, a visit that will also test New Delhi’s efforts to balance relations with Moscow and Washington as the war in Ukraine grinds on.

Putin is scheduled to arrive on the state visit Thursday and hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. They are expected to review progress on bilateral ties, discuss issues of mutual interest and sign interdepartmental and business agreements, both governments said.

India has continued to buy discounted Russian oil, despite warnings from Washington that this is partly keeping Moscow’s revenues afloat to fund the Ukraine war. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed additional 25% tariffs on Indian imports, raising the total duties to 50%, in retaliation.

India has defended its imports as essential for meeting the growing energy needs of its 1.4 billion people.

Putin last visited India in 2021. Modi was in Moscow last year, and the two leaders briefly met in September in China during a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

The India-Russia summit comes as the United States renews its push for a Ukraine peace plan and seeks broader cooperation from key partners.

Putin met U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in the Kremlin Tuesday to discuss the proposals, which critics have described as too heavily tilted toward Moscow. Yuri Ushakov, one of Putin's senior advisers, told journalists after the meeting that talks had been “productive” but said that much work still remained.

Modi has avoided condemning Russia for the fighting in Ukraine while emphasizing the need for a peaceful settlement.

Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, an international affairs expert at the Jindal School of International Affairs near New Delhi, said India has avoided taking on an overt mediating role because it could complicate its ties with both Russia and the U.S.

“But behind-the-scenes diplomacy by Modi is feasible, and has happened already to some extent,” Chaulia said.

Modi could try to nudge Putin “to accommodate some Ukrainian and European concerns to bring about a cessation of hostilities,” he added.

India and Russia will look at bolstering their bilateral relationship and are expected to deliver a package of documents centered around economic cooperation, trade facilitation, maritime, healthcare and media exchanges, according to Indian officials involved in the summit’s preparation. They spoke on condition of anonymity as the details aren’t public.

India is keen to increase exports of pharmaceuticals, agriculture and textiles to Russia and is seeking the removal of non-tariff barriers. New Delhi is also seeking long-term supplies of fertilizers from Moscow.

Another key area where the two countries are working to finalize an agreement is the safe and regulated migration of Indian skilled workers to Russia.

The U.S. has pressed India to halt purchases of discounted Russian oil, accusing New Delhi of helping fund Moscow’s war effort. In August, Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian imports to increase pressure over the issue.

India rejected the charge, saying it follows international sanctions and prioritizes its national interest and energy security. But its position could become more complicated after new U.S. sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil. Indian officials said the country will avoid buying oil from sanctioned producers, while keeping options open with companies not targeted by the restrictions.

“India will certainly underscore that there is no Indian desire to cut off energy supplies from Russia completely,” said Harsh Pant, vice president of foreign policy at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank.

Pant said future imports will depend “on the market forces and how effective sanctions are in weaning away Indian private sector or Indian state-run companies from Russian energy sources."

Energy cooperation is expected to feature prominently at the summit, including India’s investments in Russia’s Far East and expanded civil nuclear collaboration. The Kudankulam nuclear power plant in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, built with Russian assistance, remains the centerpiece of that partnership, and officials said talks continue on localized equipment manufacturing and potential joint projects in third countries.

India is expected to push Russia for faster delivery of two further S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, after receiving three under a 2018 deal worth about $5.4 billion. The delay has been tied to supply chain disruptions linked to the war in Ukraine.

Indian authorities are also likely to explore the possibility of acquiring additional S-400 units or an upgraded variant, though no contract or announcement is expected.

Indian defense planners say the S-400 proved effective during a brief military standoff with Pakistan in May.

“The meeting will focus on broader elements of institutional cooperation on defense between our two sides and will try to ensure that delivery delays are ended. Potentially, S-400 additional is not ruled out, but don’t expect any announcement during the visit,” India’s Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said at a security conference in New Delhi last week.

Talks are also expected on upgrading India’s Russian-made Su-30MKI fighter jets and accelerating deliveries of critical military hardware, as well as improving coordination on joint exercises and disaster relief.

Despite India diversifying its procurement of military hardware over the last few years, Russia continues to be its biggest supplier. Moscow is keen on selling its stealth fighter jet Su-57 to India, but New Delhi has kept its options open to other foreign suppliers as well.

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi examine a hall prior to the award ceremony of Narendra Modi with the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

FILE - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin stand in a hall in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet each other before their meeting in New Delhi, India, on Dec. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, look at a model of a Leader nuclear-powered icebreaker as they visit the Zvezda shipyard in the town of Bolshoi Kamen, Russia, on Sept. 4, 2019. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, hugs Russian President Vladimir Putin before their meeting in New Delhi, India, on Oct. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two teenage suspects killed three men in a shooting at a San Diego mosque Monday before killing themselves a few blocks away, authorities said. Police Chief Scott Wahl said a security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego was among those killed and that the case is being investigated as a hate crime.

About two hours before the attack, the mother of one of the suspects called police to report that her son was missing, Wahl told a news conference. She feared he might be suicidal, and she eventually realized that several of her weapons were missing, along with her vehicle.

The case became even more urgent when police learned that he was dressed in camouflage and that he was in the company of an acquaintance, and officers began using whatever technology they had available to locate the teens, including automated license plate readers.

Wahl said that’s when police began getting reports of a shooting.

The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County, according to its website. It's about 9 miles (15 kilometers) north of downtown San Diego.

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There had been no specific threat made against the Islamic Center of San Diego, but San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said investigators were aware of “generalized hate rhetoric” in the case and are investigating the attack as a hate crime.

Wahl noted that the mother of one of the suspects found a note he left behind, but the chief declined to disclose its contents.

Wahl says that about two hours before the attack, the mother of one of the suspects called police to report that her son was missing.

Wahl told a news conference the she feared he might be suicidal, and she eventually realized that several of her weapons were missing, along with her vehicle.

The case became even more urgent when police learned that he was dressed in camouflage and that he was in the company of an acquaintance, and officers began using whatever technology they had available to locate the teens, including automated license plate readers.

Wahl said that’s when police began getting reports of a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Responding officers found the three victims at the mosque and the two teens dead of apparently self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle nearby.

That’s according to Sharp Memorial Hospital spokesperson Erica Carlson.

Carlson says the hospital did not expect to receive additional patients but was staying in contact with the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services.

The hospital declined to provide additional details.

That’s according to the center’s website.

Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the parking lot of the center as it was surrounded by scores of police vehicles.

Parents were directed to a nearby area to retrieve their children.

The white mosque is in a neighborhood of homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets.

“All of the kids are safe,” Wahl said, appearing emotional. “Our hearts go out to the families that are in this moment being notified of what has happened to their loved ones.”

Imam Taha Hassane also said at a news conference that “all the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected.”

Tazheen Nizam of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in San Diego says that “no one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school.”

Nizam says in a statement that CAIR is “working to learn more about this incident and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers.”

That’s according to Chief Wahl.

Wahl says that as officers responded to the mosque, they also fielded reports of gunfire a few blocks away, where a landscaper was shot at but was uninjured.

He says the suspects were found dead in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a road nearby.

Imam Taha Hassane says it also works to build relations in the community.

He told a news conference that a group of non-Muslims had been touring the mosque earlier Monday to learn about the Muslim faith.

That’s according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.

Chief Scott Wahl says both suspects are believed to be teens and that the case is considered to be a hate crime.

“We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” his office posted on the social platform X.

Children hold hand as they walk near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People carry weapons at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A woman watches from a distance at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Two men embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Police stage at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Police stage at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A body is covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A sheriff's deputy stages at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)