NEW DELHI, Dec. 7-- India will not support sanctions against Russia by Western countries over the on-going Ukraine crisis, local media reported on Sunday.

Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the country next week, the Indian government said it cannot be party to any sanction against Russia, reported local daily The Times of India.

The Russian president will visit India on Dec. 10 and 11 for the 15th Annual India-Russia Summit, during which he would hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ajay Bisaria, joint secretary of the Eurasia Division under the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, described India-Russia ties as "special and privileged strategic partnership."

He said both countries "have similarity in views on important global issues, including on the threats of terrorism, particularly in Russia and the neighborhood and on the need to defuse Cold War- like tensions that are increasingly manifesting themselves in global relations."

"India has said clearly that it cannot be party to any economic sanctions against Russia," he said at a news briefing last Friday, quoted by the paper.

India and Russia are to spell out a "joint vision of their relationship for the next 10 years" which will provide a roadmap to advancing the partnership to qualitatively new levels, with strong focus on redefining the economic partnership, he said.