MOSCOW (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow on Monday on a two-day visit.This is the first time Russia has sent troops to Ukraine. Long-term relationships with partners And it is pushing Russia closer to India’s rival, China.
Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin at his official residence outside Moscow and is due to meet at the Kremlin on Tuesday. Modi last visited Russia in 2019 to attend a forum in the Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok and meet Putin. The two leaders are due to meet again in September 2022 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan.
“I look forward to further deepening the special and privileged strategic partnership between our two countries,” Modi said in a message posted in both Russian and English on social media platform ‘X’ of his arrival in Moscow.
“Strengthened ties between our two countries will greatly benefit our people,” he wrote, along with a photo of himself and Putin embracing.
The two leaders were later seen at Putin’s residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, near Moscow, in a video shared by the Kremlin.
Putin gave Modi a ride around the grounds in a buggy and showed him around the stables where the horses are kept, and the pair watched a horse show featuring performers dressed in Russian folk costumes, according to the state news agency.
Modi thanked Putin for the welcome he received at Novo-Ogaryovo and said he looked forward to meeting him on Tuesday, which he hoped would be “a major step in further strengthening the ties of friendship between India and Russia.”
Russia Strong ties with India since the Cold WarIndia’s importance as a major trading partner has grown since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. China and India have become major buyers of Russian crude oil after the United States and its allies imposed sanctions that cut off most Western markets to Russian exports. India now gets more than 40 percent of its crude imports from Russia, analysts say.
Under Modi’s leadership, India has avoided condemning Russia’s military actions in Ukraine while stressing the need for a peaceful resolution.
But Moscow’s cooperation with India has been undermined as Russia moves closer to China, and Modi did not attend a summit in Kazakhstan last week. Shanghai Cooperation Organization, A security group established by Moscow and Beijing.
Chietiji Bajpai, senior South Asia fellow at Britain-based Chatham House, said India was increasingly alienated from forums where Russia and China play key roles.
“This is evident from India’s relatively low-key chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation last year and Prime Minister Modi’s decision not to attend this year’s summit,” Vajpayee said.
June 2020 showdown The clashes along the disputed Sino-Indian border have dramatically altered already tense relations between the two countries as rival troops fought with stones, clubs and fists. At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed. Tensions remain despite the talks and are also affecting New Delhi’s view of Moscow.
“Russia-China relations are of some concern to India in the context of China’s increasing assertiveness in the region,” D. Bala Venkatesh Verma, a former Indian ambassador to Russia, told The Associated Press.
However, Prime Minister Modi is expected to seek to maintain close ties with Russia, which is also a major defense supplier to India.
With Moscow’s defense industries mainly supplying the Russian military in Ukraine, India has been diversifying its defense procurement, increasing purchases from the United States, Israel, France and Italy.
“Defence cooperation will clearly be a priority area,” Vajpayee said, adding that 60 percent of India’s military equipment and systems “remain Russian-made.”
“We have seen some delays in the delivery of spare parts following Russia’s aggression in Ukraine,” he said. “The two countries are set to sign a military logistics agreement, which will pave the way for further defense exchanges.”
Modi’s visit could help increase the Russian leader’s influence, as Putin has made few overseas trips in recent years since an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court in 2023 for his actions in Ukraine.
“It seems like Putin is on a nostalgia trip to Vietnam and North Korea,” said Theresa Fallon, an analyst at the Center for Russian, European and Asian Studies. “My view is that he’s trying to show that he’s not a vassal of China, that he has options, and that Russia is still a great power.”
Alexander Gabuev, president of the Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Center, said Putin’s interactions on the world stage show he is “by no means isolated” and that Russia is not a country to be taken lightly.
Trade developments will also feature prominently in the talks, particularly India’s intention to develop a maritime corridor between its main port of Chennai and Vladivostok, a gateway to Russia’s Far East.
India’s External Affairs Minister Vinay Mohan Kwatra told reporters on Friday that India-Russia trade will surge due to strong energy cooperation, reaching nearly $65 billion in 2023-24.
Kwatra said imports from Russia stood at $60 billion and exports from India at $4 billion in fiscal 2023-24. India’s fiscal year runs from April to March.
He said India is trying to correct its trade imbalance with Russia by increasing its exports. Major Indian exports to Russia include pharmaceuticals, telecommunication equipment, steel, seafood and machinery.
Major imports from Russia include crude oil and petroleum products, coal and coke, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, fertilizers, vegetable oil, gold and silver.
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Pati reported from New Delhi and Heinz reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.
