Putin and Modi deepen relationship, Ukraine conflict discussed as side event
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Kremlin in Moscow,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, seeking to deepen the relationship between the two nuclear powers of present day multipolar World. “Our relationship is one of a particularly privileged strategic partnership”. This is Modi’s first international visit after winning the General Elections for the third time.
India while emphasizing a peaceful settlement to a NATO induced Ukraine conflict has been maintaining its deeps bilateral strategic partnership with Russia.
USA and European Union have been condemning Russia and accusing it for attacking Ukraine. However the root cause of this Conflict is the NATO expansionist plan to include Ukraine in its fold.
Deepening of Indo Russian relationship has alarmed the West because they thought that this would not be occurring. In their opinion Russia has moved closer to China amid “international isolation” of Moscow over Ukraine. Modi had not attend last week’s summit in Kazakhstan of a security organization founded by Moscow and Beijing but sent the Foreign Minister, it was mainly to avoid / snub China and had nothing to do with Russia.
In fact Putin has straight away agreed to the issue of releasing all Indians who were lured through a criminal network to Russia under the pretext of giving them jobs, and then conscripting them into the Russian Army. At least 35 Indians were being made to fight in the Ukraine conflict. It said the men were trained in combat roles and deployed to Ukraine against their wishes, with some of them “grievously injured.”
On Monday, Putin greeted Modi at his residence near Moscow, and the two leaders shook hands and embraced
Noting the warm welcome the reckless Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X: “It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day.”
This Zelensky, a Western lackey to boot has made up his mind to get Ukraine totally devastated and so is refusing to talk peace.
“Be it war, a struggle or a terrorist attack, every person who believes in humanity, when there is loss of life, he is pained,” the Indian prime minister said. Modi said the two leaders shared “our opinions on Ukraine with an open heart and in detail. We respectfully listened to each other.”
Modi added that “a solution is not possible on the battlefield. Between bombs, guns and bullets, a solution and peace talks cannot be successful. And we have to adopt the path of peace only through talks.”
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller noted the Modi visit at a briefing in Washington, saying “We made quite clear directly with India our concerns about their relationship with Russia. And so we would hope India and any other country, when they engage with Russia, would make clear that Russia should respect the U.N. Charter, should respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Imagine USA rep uttering the above words when USA itself has been supplying lethal arms to Pakistan for attacking India since 1965 onwards. Russia is a close friend and if some country has concerns over it then they have to just lump it.
Modi’s trip received extensive coverage at home, including his laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at the Kremlin wall. Regarding the issue of Indian recruits into the Russian military, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that Modi had “strongly” raised the issue with Putin.
At the NATO summit in Washington, Western leaders marked the military alliance’s 75th anniversary and sought to reassure Ukraine of their support.
While Western countries have hit Russia with sanctions, Putin pointed out that trade between Russia and India increased by 66% last year, adding that it’s a key focus of Modi’s trip.
Energy purchases by India account for part of the increase in trade and Modi said that because of Russia’s support, “we were able to save Indian citizens from difficulties related to requirements of petrol and diesel.” He added that the nations’ agreements on energy “helped provide market stability to the world indirectly.”
After the meeting, the Indian foreign secretary said that Modi and Putin set a goal to reach $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 — up from nearly $65 billion last year.
A significant proportion of that is in the energy and defence industries. Russian state media reported that the two leaders would also discuss Moscow helping India build more nuclear power plants. The two countries already are collaborating on the Kudankulam nuclear power project in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Russia had strong ties with India during the Cold War, and New Delhi’s importance as a key trading partner with Moscow has grown since the war in Ukraine.
China and India are key buyers of Russian oil which has completely foiled the sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies that shut most Western markets off to Russian exports. India now gets more than 40% of its oil imports from Russia, according to analysts.
Modi last traveled to Russia in 2019, when he attended a forum in the far eastern port of Vladivostok and met with Putin. They also saw each other in September 2022 in Uzbekistan, at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization bloc.
A confrontation in June 2020 along the disputed China-India border dramatically altered the already touchy relationship between Beijing and New Delhi as rival troops fought with rocks, clubs and fists. At least 20 Indian soldiers and 40 Chinese soldiers were killed, with 44 more Chinese soldiers injured.
Meanwhile, India-Russia trade has seen a sharp increase, touching close to $65 billion in the 2023-24 financial year, due to strong energy cooperation, Kwatra said Friday. Russian imports touched $60 billion and exports from India $4 billion in the 2023-24 financial year. India’s financial year runs from April to March.
