Ankur Desai

As many of the world's leaders call for a solution to peace in the war in Ukraine, the Russian president remains steadfast in his position.

Vladimir Putin is starting a two-day visit to India, his first since his country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

On his way there, President Putin said Russia wanted control of all of Ukraine's Donbass region and that if negotiations failed, they would take it by force.

He also insisted that the Europeans should stop hindering the peace process.

Well, the war in Ukraine is expected to loom large over his discussions with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India is a major buyer of Russian oil, revenues that help sustain Moscow amid the costs of the war and Western sanctions.

At the same time, Delhi is coming under increased U.S.

pressure to end that trade.

And back in August, Washington imposed 50% sanctions on Indian exports.

I asked the BBC's Arunadhe Mukherjee in Delhi how Prime Minister Modi will manage this difficult balancing act.

Now, India does have longstanding ties with Moscow, though.

So what are we expecting to come from this visit?

The BBC's Arunadho Mukherjee reporting from Delhi.

Now, with more analysis on this story, our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg looks closely at the relationship between Russia and India.

I think certainly the Indian authorities have tried to balance throughout the Ukraine war, but India sees Russia as an important partner.

There is this strategic partnership between the two countries.

And when Russia looks at India, it sees first and foremost this huge potential market that

a billion and a half population, a fast-growing economy, a market it can sell its goods to and its natural resources.

And in a sense, India buying Russian oil the last few years has been a lifeline for the Russian economy.

So the Russians want that to continue, despite the pressure India is coming under from the United States.