Foreign ministry was reacting to media reports that New Delhi is ‘pivoting away’ from its key partner for weaponry systems
New Delhi continues to be interested in defense cooperation with Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko has told TASS, commenting on a Reuters report that suggests India is “seeking to distance itself” from Russia, which remains its key partner for military procurements.
Reuters’ report cites four anonymous sources in the Indian government and in think tanks based there, and claims India, the world’s biggest importer of arms, is “slowly turning West” as Washington moves to contain China by “weaning [New Delhi] off a traditional dependence on Russia.”
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![Brahmos cruise missiles, built by India and Russia, are paraded in front of spectators during India's Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, 26 January 2004.](https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2023.11/thumbnail/65609db52030277b172f5e4d.jpg)
“We do not have such information. This is all on Reuters’ conscience. Our Indian partners, as before, are interested in cooperation, including in this area,” Rudenko commented.
One expert cited by Reuters, Nandan Unnikrishnan of the Observer Research Foundation, said that Moscow and New Delhi are unlikely to sign any major military deals, as this would be considered a “red line for Washington.” Unnikrishnan later told TASS, however, that although he wasn’t misquoted in the report, he disagreed with the conclusion presented by Reuters.
”I am absolutely confident that the Russian-Indian defense partnership will definitely continue for many more decades,” Rudenko reassured TASS. He added that the future of defense cooperation between the two countries will depend on the ability of Russian weaponry manufacturers to find their niche in New Delhi’s expanding “Make in India” program, which aims to increase the share of locally developed and manufactured defense systems.
Earlier this month, in an interview with RT in New Delhi, Unnikrishnan said that both countries have a “realistic” understanding of where the bilateral relationship stands and are discussing how to take forward their defense ties.