Hugs as Putin clinches India defence deal worth billions
NEW DELHI: Russia and India's leaders announced yesterday a raft of deals worth billions of dollars including for an air defence system, as New Delhi walks a tightrope between Moscow and Washington with a wary eye on China.
The flagship accord announced during a visit to India by President Vladimir Putin was for the formidable S- 400 surfacetoair missile defence system, worth US$ 5.2 billion according to an Indian source.
Other agreements — following a meeting between Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that began with a hug — were in railways and fertilisers and space, with Russia undertaking to train astronauts for India's first crewed space mission in 2022.
India's decision to purchase the S- 400 flies in the face of the United States imposing sanctions on countries buying Russian military hardware, as happened with China last month.
US- Russia ties are plumbing depths not seen since the Cold War, plunging further still this week as Western powers accused Moscow of orchestrating a brazen string of global cyber attacks.
However, Washington is in a tricky position with India, seeking to bolster ties with the Asian giant to counter China's growing assertiveness, something which has also rattled New Delhi.
Last year, India and China had a military standoff over a Himalayan plateau claimed by Beijing and Bhutan, a close ally of India.
China has also perturbed India by loaning large amounts of money to Indian Ocean countries where it has long held sway.
“It is also important for India to keep friendly relations with Russians so that they don't completely move into the Chinese camp,” said Manoj Joshi from New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think- tank.
“Also, the fact is that unlike the US, Russian regional interests largely overlap with India's regional policy,” he told AFP.
Washington and New Delhi announced plans last month for joint military drills in 2019, and agreed on the exchange of sensitive military information.
The US is now India's secondbiggest arms supplier.
India therefore could expect to gain a sympathetic ear if it seeks a waiver from the US sanctions, but President Donald Trump's administration has signalled this is unlikely.
Russia and India have been close since the 1950s and Moscow remains its biggest source of weaponry as it prepares itself for perceived potential threats from China and Pakistan.
It is also important for India to keep friendly relations with Russians so that they don’t completely move into the Chinese camp. Manoj Joshi, New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think-tank