India-Russia ties: why Putin-Modi arms deals are a problem for both China and the United States
- Since the start of the Ukraine crisis, Russia has been getting closer to China. Yet now Moscow is selling India weapons likely to be pointed in Beijing’s direction
- The US, too, will feel aggrieved, as such deals will make it hard for it to ask New Delhi to join in sanctions against Moscow for its actions in the Crimea
Harsha Kakar, a retired major general in the Indian army, said the meeting proved that despite Russia’s close ties with China, and India’s with the West, and “regardless of whatever alignments the countries may be part of, a relationship that has been built up over the years should not be eroded due to geopolitical changes”.
Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2014, Russia has strengthened military and economic ties with China in response to the West’s condemnation of its seizure of the Crimea region and backing of a separatist rebellion in the east. The US recently warned Moscow it would face economic sanctions in the event of an attack on Ukraine.
While the Russians expressed concerns over US military activity in the Asia-Pacific region to their Indian counterparts, who pointed to “unprovoked aggression on our northern border” in a reference to China, the bilateral meeting yielded a wide range of agreements.
The two leaders signed 28 deals in areas such as coal, shipbuilding, metallurgy, and oil. Moscow and New Delhi also pledged to raise bilateral trade to US$30 billion and mutual investment to US$50 billion by 2025.