India, Russia set to sign defence pacts amid China-US rivalry

Modi and Putin are expected to seal agreements related to energy, space and exploration, while strengthening their countries’ relationship

Analysts said the summit would also quell speculation about deteriorating Russia-India ties, amid Moscow’s concerns about New Delhi’s involvement in the Quad

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Vladivostok on September 4, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:00pm, 5 Dec 2021Updated: 10:31am, 6 Dec 2021

Defence issues will be a major focus for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they meet at their annual summit in New Delhi on Monday, with agreements related to energy, space and cooperation in the Arctic and Russia’s Far East region also likely to be announced.

Russian and Indian defence and foreign ministers will also hold their first 2+2 meeting. Currently, India only has arrangements for this top-level ministerial dialogue with fellow Quad security alliance members, the United States, Japan and Australia.

Indian sources said a document on military-technical cooperation for the next decade would be released during the Russian meeting.

“We attach great importance to developing relations with India,” Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Friday, adding that a package of deals were set to be signed. Energy giant Rosneft’s boss Igor Sechin would also be part of the delegation because “important energy agreements” were on the table.

“A number of substantive and specific projects will be announced during the visit but it is also going to be a demonstration of the relationship,” said PS Raghavan, a retired Indian diplomat who also served as ambassador to Russia from 2014 to 2016. “The symbolism of the visit will be as important as the substance.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin greet each other before a meeting in New Delhi on October 5, 2018. Photo: EPA-EFE

The meeting between Putin and Modi is their first since November 2019, and marks the Russian leader’s second trip outside his country since the Covid-19 pandemic began. He held talks in Geneva in June with US President Joe Biden.