Western countries are scared of India-Russia friendship: Putin bluntly, ‘It is impossible to put pressure on PM Modi’
St. Petersburg. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said his country is determined to further expand time-tested relations with India. He stressed that US efforts to force New Delhi to reduce cooperation with Russia are futile and harmful to international relations. Putin praised India’s economic growth and its independent foreign policy in talks with heads of major global news agencies. He said Russia is determined to expand its economic ties with New Delhi.
The West could not exert any pressure
“India is one of the world’s leading economies and is currently displaying impressive rates of economic growth,” Putin said, expressing confidence that bilateral trade between the two countries is poised to reach US$100 billion in the coming years. Putin said Moscow has not seen any negative consequences from the pressure being put on India by Western countries to limit relations with Russia. He said that such strategy of western countries is bound to have the opposite effect.
He said, “America is trying to put pressure on India in terms of cooperation with Russia. But everyone has understood that putting pressure on (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi (and India) is harmful for international relations and bilateral relations. “It does not matter where this pressure is coming from,” Putin said. “We do not see any negative consequences from it.” Putin said, “There are no serious consequences emerging from this situation.” We are strengthening our ties with India and will continue to do so.
There is no rift in the friendship between India and Russia
These comments of the Russian President come amid concern being expressed by some western countries regarding India-Russia relations. America has been continuously appealing to India to reduce the purchase of Russian crude oil. The Russian President underlined that Delhi will continue to prioritize its national interests, and said that India’s diplomatic engagement with the US does not hinder or weaken its (New Delhi’s) time-tested relations with Russia.
What did Putin say on relations with America?
When Putin was asked whether India’s close ties with the US created an uncomfortable situation for Russia, he said, “We are glad that India is developing its relations with all the countries that it considers important for its national interests.” Putin said that Russia considers India a “reliable partner” and he does not see any negative consequences from New Delhi’s bilateral relations with any other country. India is a great nation and democracy and Russia will continue to expand its relations with it.
Putin also answered questions on Ukraine crisis
In response to a question related to the ongoing war with Ukraine, the Russian President said that he is ready for its solution and now the challenge is to convince Kiev for this. He also rejected the idea that EU countries could act as mediators in peace talks with Ukraine. The Russian President said the EU could help resolve the conflict by convincing Ukraine to compromise rather than providing arms. Putin said the Ukraine crisis is a “local” issue, while the Iran issue is a global issue.
He asked, “How can Russia trust those who for years have been insisting on the need to strategically defeat Moscow?” Putin said Russia is ready to support any decision that contributes to reducing tensions in West Asia. The Russian President also questioned the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelensky as Ukraine’s head of state and said the Ukrainian leader’s presidential term had ended. In response to a question, he said, “Will they hold elections or not?” We should ask this question.
What did Putin say about the delicate relations between India, China and Pakistan?
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia will not interfere in the “delicate” bilateral relations between India and China. Putin also expressed confidence that India and China are committed to amicably resolving their long-pending border disputes. In a wide-ranging conversation with the heads of the world’s leading news agencies, including PTI, Putin praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping and said that both the leaders are committed to resolving border issues peacefully.
India and China have taken several steps to normalize ties over the past year, after their ties were severely strained by the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020 and the subsequent military standoff that lasted more than four years. Underlining Russia’s strategic balance in Asia, President Putin said that Russia’s decades-old partnerships with India and China have developed naturally and the two relationships are completely distinct from each other. He described these relations as a natural evolution and said that Russia’s growing closeness with India is not at the expense of China, just as Russia’s deep alliance with China does not affect its relations with India.
Putin also mentioned the historical background of the Russia-India-China trilateral framework. He said, “I had once suggested that the leaders of India and China meet in Russia and that is how the Russia-India-China framework was established. We had many issues to talk about and agree upon.”
Putin’s statement on India-Pakistan relations
The Russian President also mentioned the strained relations between India and Pakistan. He said, “We are well aware of the complexities of border issues between India and Pakistan.” Putin also said that he does not believe that Pakistan is under the control of China. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Pakistan is a big country, which has multi-dimensional relations with different countries.” Asked about China-Pakistan friendship, he said, “Of course, it is very important for Pakistan to keep in mind cooperation with China.”
Russia and India are working together on fifth generation Sukhoi
Putin also mentioned Russia’s defense and military ties with India and the joint development and joint production of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. He also indicated that Russia has offered India to jointly work on the development of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter aircraft. India is in the process of purchasing a batch of fifth generation fighter aircraft. Putin said, “We have proposed to our Indian friends to work together on technology… fifth generation technology… We are ready to work with India in this area to provide it with fighter aircraft.” The Russian President said that his country is ready to provide India with important technology for key defense platforms and weapons.
Comments are closed.