New Delhi, Mar 12 (ANI): Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi as he began his New Delhi visit eyeing upon boosting strategic and defence ties with India.

Putin, who is on a 22-hour visit to India, is expected to sign over a dozen agreements with India, including an umbrella civil nuclear pact to construct additional nuclear power stations.

The two countries already have agreements for construction of four nuclear reactors in addition to a pair of Russian units being built in Tamil Nadu.

During his meeting with Putin later this evening, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is likely to press for access to Russian nuclear reprocessing technology

Other agreements expected to be signed will be defence pacts as well as that of the price of refurbished aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov.

The last meeting between Putin and Dr. Manmohan Singh in Moscow in December 2009 failed to generate big deals to emulate the landmark oil-for-arms deal signed by the two countries earlier in the decade. (ANI)