Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Delhi for a two-day visit. India warmly welcomes him, as he has always been a good and trusted friend. The relationship between India and Russia is very old.
Many years ago, when India’s famous actor Raj Kapoor sang the song:
“My shoes are Japanese, these trousers are English,
the red cap on my head is Russian,
yet my heart is Indian.”
It became extremely popular in Moscow. People loved it so much that Raj Kapoor had to visit Russia, and when he entered the city wearing a red cap, the crowd went wild. At that time, Russia was known as the Soviet Union. Over time, the bond between India and the Soviet Union grew very strong. During the Indo-Pak war, when Indian soldiers destroyed American-made Pakistani tanks and our MiG aircraft defeated Pakistani Sabre jets, Russia supported India in strengthening its defense. A true friend is one who helps during difficult times, and history shows that Russia has always stood by India. In the 1971 war, when America sent its Seventh Fleet to the Bay of Bengal to support Pakistan, the Soviet Union sent its destroyer ships to support India. The Soviet Union also used its veto in the United Nations in favor of India. That same year, India and the Soviet Union signed a Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation, which made their partnership even stronger. Russia has also helped India a lot in military technology and space research.
Russian President Putin also visited New Delhi in 2021. The Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President hold an annual summit to review all aspects of their relations. So far, 22 summit meetings have been held between the two countries. Last year in July, Prime Minister Modi went to Moscow for the annual summit. Now, the two friends are meeting once again. Both leaders, Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have the potential to change the world order. Putin’s visit to India comes at a time when India is facing American pressure to stop buying crude oil from Russia. US President Trump is also annoyed with India for buying weapons from Russia. Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on India. On the other hand, Russia is under pressure from Western countries due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. To stop the war in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump has targeted Russia’s oil revenues. The whole world is watching the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin. Trump and Pakistani rulers, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Army Chief Munir, are tense about this meeting.
Even before arriving in India, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, the Duma, approved a military agreement with India regarding defense cooperation. If India and Russia agree on this, 5 Russian warships, 10 military aircraft, and 3000 soldiers can be deployed on Indian soil for 5 years. Similarly, the same number of Indian soldiers and warships can be deployed on Russian soil. The Russian Parliament approved this under the RELOS (India-Russia Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support) agreement. The RELOS deal has caused a stir in many countries around the world. A few days ago, Putin ordered that Russia will take steps to reduce the trade imbalance created by India’s large-scale import of crude oil. Now it remains to be seen what steps Russia will take to address the trade imbalance. To reduce the trade imbalance, Russia could import agricultural products and medicines from India. If this happens, it would be like rubbing salt in the wounds of US President Trump, who believed that imposing a 50 percent tariff would cripple the Indian market. If India starts supplying more of its agricultural and pharmaceutical products to Russia, Trump’s dream will remain just a pipe dream. In the financial year 2024-25, bilateral trade between India and Russia reached a record $68.7 billion, with India’s exports amounting to $4.88 billion. Putin is talking about addressing this imbalance. India cannot abandon its friendship with Russia under American pressure. Except for the last 25 years, the US has mostly been against India since independence. Russia has provided significant assistance to India’s industrial, defense, and nuclear sectors. During Putin’s visit to India in 2000, relations were given a new dimension with the establishment of the Indo-Russian strategic partnership. As a result, India and Russia have successfully developed several defense technologies, including the BrahMos missile and T-19 tanks. Furthermore, both countries are cooperating in the joint production of weapons and technology transfer. Despite strong opposition from the US, Russia provided India with the S-400 air defense system. The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin is expected to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, and agreements are anticipated in several areas, including trade, energy, and defense. Both countries will focus on giving a new direction to bilateral trade. India has already made it clear that it will never break its friendship with its time-tested friend.
