Our Bureau
St. Petersburg
Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly commended Moscow’s bilateral relationship with India, describing ties as “brotherly” and “trust-based” in every sense of the word, even as New Delhi faces persistent pressure from Washington over its energy imports from Russia.
Addressing the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Russian leader highly commended India’s human capital and technological prowess, specifically highlighting the country’s expertise in coding and software engineering.
“We know how talented the Indian people are and how well educated they are. Indians possess outstanding competencies that have earned global recognition, especially in coding and several other fields,” Putin stated.
Emphasising the critical nature of the India-Russia strategic alliance amid heightened volatility in global energy markets due to geopolitical friction in West Asia and fears of logistics disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the Russian President remarked that the bilateral synergy has yielded mutual benefits.
“Prime Minister Modi had to introduce certain restrictions, asking people not to use personal cars or travel long distances because of what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz. I believe our companies made the right decision, and so did our Indian counterparts, when they chose the path of close cooperation. Today, we are extending a helping hand by increasing supplies to the Indian market and to Asia in general, while continuing to share our technological solutions,” Putin observed.
In a firm declaration addressing external diplomatic pressures, Putin maintained that Moscow’s engagement with New Delhi remains insulated from changing global political dynamics, reinforcing that the Kremlin would consistently fulfil its bilateral assurances.
“Nobody can dictate terms to us, and nobody would even try to do so. We will always honour the commitments we make to our partners, especially partners like India,” the Russian President asserted.
Highlighting the extensive framework of defence and technological synergy between the two nations, Putin pointed out that a substantial segment of India’s defence forces utilises Russian-origin hardware.
“This is a tradition that dates back to the Soviet era. Our relationship with our Indian friends is unique because it is built on mutual trust. We are focused not merely on trade and commerce, but also on joint research and development,” Putin mentioned.
The Russian President also acclaimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decisive leadership, noting that any punitive measures targeted at India would ultimately backfire on the nations attempting to implement them.
Concurrently, the Russian leader noted the progressive development of India-US relations, emphasising that New Delhi exercises complete autonomy to make strategic choices aligned with its national interests.
“India is free to choose the products it considers most advanced, most suitable for its needs, and those that offer the best value in terms of price and quality,” Putin added.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed confidence that India and Russia can significantly expand their economic partnership, projecting bilateral trade to reach USD 100 billion in the coming years, across key sectors, including nuclear energy, hydrocarbons and investments.
Speaking on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday (local time) Putin said Moscow and New Delhi were aiming for more ambitious economic targets as trade between the two nations continues to grow.
“We hope that in the upcoming years we will reach 100 billion US dollars in mutual trade. It’s about 58 or 60 billion US dollars, but we have all the foundations to work more actively and to reach more ambitious goals,” Putin said.
The Russian President pointed to the expanding energy partnership between the two countries, particularly in the nuclear sector, where Russia has played a central role in India’s civilian nuclear energy programme (Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant). The plant is located in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
“We are not only talking about our plans in energy, including nuclear energy. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) is now being constructed,” he said.
Putin also indicated that future cooperation would extend beyond nuclear energy into the hydrocarbons sector. “New platforms will emerge in terms of hydrocarbons. We will be continuing to work together,” he said.
The Russian leader further emphasised the growing investment relationship between the two countries, describing ongoing projects as among the largest foreign investments in India. “We have one of the largest investment projects in the Indian economy, and we will be doing mutual investments,” he said.
