Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow will not interfere in the “sensitive” relationship between India and China, expressing confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are working to resolve outstanding issues of common concern, including the long-standing border dispute.Speaking during a meeting with the media in St. Petersburg, Putin said that Russia maintains strong relations with both New Delhi and Beijing and sees no reason to interfere in their bilateral affairs.In response to a question from the agency, Putin said, “These are sensitive and multifaceted relations between India and China, and interfering in them is not a good idea. Of course, we interact with our friends in both India and China.”“President Xi and Prime Minister Modi are trying to resolve all issues of common concern, including border relations,” he added.Putin’s remarks come as India and China took a series of measures over the past year to rebuild relations after relations were severely strained following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes and a military standoff that lasted for more than four years.
Highlighting Russia’s relations with the two countries, Putin said that Moscow’s relationship with India does not affect its relations with China, just as its growing partnership with Beijing does not undermine relations with New Delhi.
“As for Russia, we have our own relations with China and India… Relations between Russia and India do not bother China, and our relations with China do not bother India,” he said.The Russian President also referred to the origins of the Russia-India-China framework, saying: “At one point, I suggested that the leaders of India and China meet here, and this is how Russia, India and China were established.”Regarding relations related to Pakistan, Putin rejected the suggestion that Islamabad was under Beijing’s control.“I don’t think so,” he said. “First of all, Pakistan is a big country, and it has multifaceted relations with different countries.”“Of course, for Pakistan, it is very important to take into account cooperation with the Republic of China, but everyone is working to develop relations with China,” Putin added.Regarding defense cooperation, Putin highlighted the BrahMos missile program, and said that Russia had proposed cooperation with India in the field of fifth-generation fighter technology.He added: “We proposed to our Indian friends to work together in the field of technology, fifth generation technology. But the Indian friends said, ‘Do it alone and we will join. We are ready to work with India in this field to supply aircraft, and we do not have any problem or any restrictions.'”Putin also said that Russia is ready to expand cooperation in air defense systems and exchange technological expertise with India. The Russian President said: “We are now working on modernizing the system. It is a unique experience, and we are ready to share this technology with Chinese and Indian friends, and we continue to work in this regard.”