India and Russia are set to expand their defence cooperation, with India expressing interest in procuring additional S-400 missile systems. Discussions took place ahead of the India-Russia annual summit.
Two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded his visit to India, during which he assured that Moscow would remain a reliable energy supplier, the Kremlin on Monday said that India, as a sovereign nation, is free to buy oil from sources it deems beneficial. It expressed confidence that New Delhi will continue to prioritise its economic interests.
However, these are understood to be exploratory talks, with an agreement unlikely to be formalised during the current visit.
Luckily for us, a Russia that is desperate to stay relevant in an emerging multipolar world finds in India a reliable geostrategic partner. The Russian proximity to India also keeps China from exploiting its economic dominance vis a vis Russia, points out Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ways to further expand India-Russia ties, following talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov focusing on trade.
Since June, India's ministry of external affairs has intensified its diplomatic calendar, hosting several heads of state and government, foreign ministers, and key trade delegations.
The ministry of external affairs spokesperson said that the meeting holds the promise of bringing to an end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening up the prospects for peace.
Russia, being bogged down by the Ukraine war and prioritising the requirements of its own armed forces, along with India's consistent diversification policy, will remain a major challenge to the bilateral partnership, note Harsh V Pant and Aleksei Zakharov.
'We had a very productive meeting, and there were many points that we agreed on. A couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there, but we made some headway.'
India welcomes the summit talks between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska and hopes for an early end to the conflict in Ukraine.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss bilateral cooperation, reaffirming India's commitment to the relationship despite external pressures. Doval also extended an invitation from PM Modi for Putin to visit India later this year.
Russia has launched its latest nuclear submarine to be armed with a 'Poseidon' nuclear drone, also known as 'doomsday missile' capable of 'wiping out' coastal nations, according to media reports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet in Tianjin on Sunday, their first in about 10 months, for wide-ranging talks aimed at improving relations.
Bolton slammed Trump's tariff policy, asserting that it has "shredded" decades of Western efforts to align India away from its Cold War ties with the then Soviet Union (Russia) and address the growing threat from China.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleges the government discourages foreign dignitaries from meeting the Leader of the Opposition due to insecurity, breaking established traditions.
The enduring relationship between the two countries have survived the disintegration of the erstwhile USSR in 1991, the end of the Cold War and the regime change in both countries, points out Rup Narayan Das.
The White House has claimed that India has begun 'scaling back' its oil purchases from Russia at the 'request' of President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that India is ready to make all possible contributions towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and concurred with India's position that 'double standards' in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable.
President Putin and Prime Minister Modi greeted each other with a warm hug, after which they walked towards the stage for a family photo of the SCO members.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his upcoming visit to India in December and expressed his intention to address the trade imbalance between the two countries, particularly concerning India's crude oil imports from Russia. He also lauded India's independent stance on international issues and highlighted the strong relationship between the two nations.
Indian private sector and State-run refiners continued to receive crude oil from Russian suppliers even after November 21 -- the winding-down date for US sanctions on supplies from leading Russian oil producers imposed in October -- as new intermediaries sprung up in West Asia to sell the oil, according to senior refining sources and ship tracking data.
The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the Ukraine conflict and reaffirming the commitment to deepen the India-Russia strategic partnership. The conversation occurred amid US pressure on India over Russian oil purchases.
'Russia, as you know, lost almost 25,000 over the last month and a half. Ukraine lost just a few, and lots of people are dying.'
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India around December 5 to hold annual summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to further solidify bilateral strategic ties.
As Russia continues to escalate its strikes on Ukraine, United States President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) said that he has plans to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days, as several European leaders are expected to visit the United States for what he described as 'very interesting discussions' aimed at resolving the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In a post on X on Saturday, Zelenskyy revealed that he and Trump had held a "long and substantive" call, beginning with one-on-one talks and later including European leaders in a broader discussion, where Trump briefed him on his recent meeting with Putin.
The defence ministry is likely to take up the proposal by the Indian Air Force for approval at a defence acquisition council meeting planned to be held on October 23, sources said.
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, describing it as "a big step" in efforts to increase global pressure on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call this past week with United States President Donald Trump, demanded that Kyiv surrender full control of Donetsk, a strategically vital region in eastern Ukraine, as a condition for ending the war, said two senior officials familiar with the conversation, the Washington Post reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his summit talks with US President Donald Trump on ending the war in Ukraine.
The unusual security measure was said to be aimed at preventing foreign powers from obtaining information about the Russian leader's health.
Despite the lack of a formal agreement, Trump described the summit as a success
Describing the visit as "productive" in a post on X, the PM said he emphasised India's position on key global issues during his engagements.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was offered a lift by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his AURUS limousine to reach the venue of their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on Monday.
Modi was received at the venue by Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan. On arrival, the Prime Minister exchanged greetings with the Chinese President before joining other leaders for the customary family photo session.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two leaders had a tete-a-tete in the car for about an hour.
Russian police reportedly raided an art gallery in St Petersburg to seize a painting that allegedly depicted President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in lingerie.
There were apprehensions that additional secondary tariffs would have hit India in case the US decided to enforce them.
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