The Trump administration, which crippled Russia’s oil sales to India with sanctions, will be watching Mr. Putin’s talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Dressed head to toe in army fatigues, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday received the news he had been awaiting for more than a year: Russia had taken over the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.

Ukraine and its European allies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of feigning interest in peace efforts after five hours of talks with U.S. envoys at the Kremlin produced no breakthrough.

By Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin warned European powers on Tuesday that if they started a war with Russia then Moscow was ready to fight and that the defeat of European powers would be so absolute that there would be no one left to even negotiate a peace deal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to host a lunch for the Russian President at Hyderabad House around 2 PM on Friday

Putin's visit also carries geopolitical weight, coming just months after the United States imposed 50% tariffs on Indian imports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting India on December 4–5 for the 23rd India–Russia Summit. Over the years, Indian hosts have served him lavish menus blending Kashmiri and Mughlai classics.

Vladimir Putin does not want a deal, and the sweetness of being begged to entertain one is something the Russian president relishes. Five hours of US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law meeting with the Kremlin head seemed to yield little publicly.