Moscow, Sep 3 The presidents of Russia and India will discuss cooperation in trade, economics, science, nuclear power and space industry, at talks in Moscow later Thursday, a Kremlin source said.

Pratibha Patil was invited to pay an official visit by Dmitry Medvedev and arrived on Wednesday. She will leave Russia September 6.

The source said the two leaders will also touch upon urgent international and regional issues and noted that bilateral trade is growing.

India and Russia have enjoyed close bilateral ties, particularly in the areas of defence, nuclear energy and space industry. The two countries have completed the design of an unmanned lunar orbiter due to be sent to the moon in 2011-12.

Last year was the Year of Russia in India, and 2009 is the Year of India in Russia.

According to Russian data, since 2005 the trade volume grew by 30 percent annually. In 2008 the $7 billion mark was reached. Despite negative world tendencies, in the first six months of 2009 trade increased by almost 18 percent on the same period last year. Machine building accounts for 49 percent of Russian exports to India.

Russia is due to build an additional four reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in India under a deal signed in 2008.

At the recent MAKS-2009 air show in Moscow, Russia's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) signed a contract for 26 RD-33 series 3 engines.

In August, India's defence industry handed over to the country's armed forces the first ten T-90 Bhishma main battle tanks assembled in India under a Russian licence.