Putin-Modi meet| India, Russia to deepen ties with focus on niche tech

On the eve of the India-Russia annual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin, the defence ministers of both nations met on Thursday and decided to enhance collaboration on “niche technologies”, without disclosing details of defence projects being pursued.

At the 22nd meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation, both sides reiterated that the relationship was based on a deep sense of trust, common principles and mutual respect.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh underlined the need to collaborate on niche technologies and boost the capacity of the Indian industry for local production and export of military items.

His Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov said the Russian defence industry was ready to support India towards becoming self-reliant in production, the Defence Ministry said.

While the ministry is silent on specific projects the two sides discussed, an ANI report said some of the proposals to come up for discussions in the Modi-Putin talk would include upgrading Su-30MKI combat jets, procuring more S-400 and similar air defence systems and equipping the fighter jets with R-37 air-to-air missiles that have a range of over 200 km.

In 2018, New Delhi signed a $5.43-billion contract with Moscow to procure five S-400 squadrons, of which three have been delivered so far.

The air-defence system that can engage multiple targets simultaneously played a critical role during the four-day conflict with Pakistan in May. India now wants to buy more such systems and missiles to replenish the stocks that were exhausted during the conflict.

The Indian side also stressed the timely delivery of the remaining two squadrons of S-400 by its manufacturer Almaz Antey. 

Singh and Belusov signed a protocol highlighting the ongoing and prospective areas of cooperation. Russia remains one of India’s most trusted military partners, supplying New Delhi with tanks, guns, warships, fighter jets, helicopters and submarines over the years.

With New Delhi cosying up to Washington, Russia’s share of India’s arms imports has dropped to 36% between 2020 and 2024, compared to 55% during 2015‑19, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.