Vladimir Putin said that India and Russia have a “brotherly” and “trust-based” relationship dating back nearly 80 years. On Friday, the Russian President affirmed Moscow’s readiness to deepen cooperation with New Delhi in the defense and technology sectors.
Speaking at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Putin spoke about the two countries’ dealing with recent vulnerabilities in energy supplies caused by the US-Israel war near Syria. Strait of Hormuz.
“Since 1947, when diplomatic relations were established, we have had very good fraternal relations based on trust in every sense of the word,” Putin said. “We know how talented the Indian people are, and how well educated they are. Indians have great competencies, which have achieved international fame, especially in programming and other fields.”
Energy cooperation amid the West Asian crisis
Citing the austerity measures taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the face of the war In West Asia, Putin said cooperation between India and Russia helped address energy supply challenges.
“prime minister [Narendra] Modi had to put certain restrictions here, He called on people not to use personal cars, and not to travel long distances, because of what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Russian President said: “I believe that our companies did the right thing and their Indian counterparts did the right thing when they decided to embark on this path of close cooperation, because now we are trying to extend a helping hand and provide assistance, increase supplies to the Indian market and Asia in general, and we certainly continue to share our technological solutions.”
Russia is open to deeper defense cooperation
Putin also said that Moscow remains open to expanding defense cooperation with India, including joint action and arms supply Su-57 fifth generation fighter aircraft. He said the platform had been proposed earlier as a joint development project.
Read also | “Fifth generation technology, the best in the world…”: Putin says Russia is open to developing the Su-57 jointly with India
“Regarding the Su-57, we at some point suggested to our Indian friends to work together on this technology,” he said.
He described it as a pioneering platform and said: “It is 5G technology – I think it is the best in the world so far.” He added that India had earlier chosen to wait to participate, while Russia had moved independently.
Bilateral relations between India and Russia
Earlier, Putin also emphasized the long-term nature of bilateral relations, describing it as a “special privileged strategic partnership” built over decades of cooperation.
He said India’s foreign policy decisions are driven by national interest and should not be influenced by external pressure.
He added: “The United States is trying to put pressure on India, including cooperation with Russia, but it will resist such efforts.”
Read also | ‘India will resist such efforts’: Putin supports New Delhi amid ‘US pressure’ over Russian oil
About American pressures and India’s foreign policy
He added that attempts to influence the Indian leadership had backfired.
“Everyone has realized that pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India is harmful to international relations.”
Putin also said that Russia sees India as a reliable partner and does not consider its growing relations with other countries a matter of concern. The Russian President further said that Moscow considers India a reliable partner and does not see New Delhi’s relations with other countries affecting bilateral relations.
He said: “We see India as a very reliable partner; Russia does not see any negative consequences of India’s bilateral relations with any other country. India is a great and democratic nation, and Russia will continue to expand its relations with it.”
