Russia and India have made significant progress in discussions about plans to jointly produce military equipment, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov, after talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Moscow, stated that the cooperation was of strategic importance and aligned with the interests of both countries, contributing to security on the Eurasian continent.
Lavrov emphasised that Moscow respected India’s desire to diversify its military hardware suppliers and expressed readiness to support India’s goal of manufacturing essential items domestically.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet with Jaishankar later that day. Jaishankar anticipated meetings between Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming year.
During the talks, Jaishankar and Lavrov discussed conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as bilateral trade and investment. India has become one of Russia’s key economic partners, particularly as the West imposed extensive sanctions on Moscow in 2022 over the Ukraine conflict. Russia has redirected a significant portion of its oil exports to India and intensified diplomatic efforts within the BRICS group, where both countries are founding members.
Jaishankar noted that Indian-Russian trade is expected to exceed $50 billion in the current year. He expressed India’s interest in signing a bilateral investment treaty with Russia and pursuing a free trade agreement with the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union.
