Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have praised the close and decades-old bilateral relations between their two countries during official talks in Moscow.
India and Russia are linked by a “privileged strategic partnership,” Putin said at the meeting in the Kremlin.
Trade between the two nations had increased by 60% in the past year. According to the Indian Ministry of Commerce, it reached the equivalent of $65 billion, with Indian imports of oil and fertilizer from Russia accounting for the largest share.
“Every Indian feels in his heart that Russia is a friend of India in good and bad times,” Modi emphasized at a meeting with representatives of the Indian community in Moscow. “This relationship is based on a strong foundation of mutual trust and respect.”
The 73-year-old Modi also praised the leadership qualities of Putin.
India has historically maintained good relations with Russia, although the country also has close ties with Western countries, who want to work closely with India in the face of an increasingly aggressive China.
Russia’s close relationship with China, on the other hand, is a thorn in India’s side.
“India is seen as a strong pillar of the new, emerging, multipolar world order,” Modi said on Tuesday. “When India talks about peace, dialogue and diplomacy, the whole world listens. Whenever the world faces a crisis, India is the first country to arrive.”
Modi’s government has sought to take a pragmatic stance on Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Because Russian oil is cheap due to Western sanctions, India has become one of the largest buyers. At the same time, Indian leaders have repeatedly called on all sides to engage in dialogue.
During Modi’s visit to Moscow, Putin thanked the Indian leader for devoting his attention to finding a solution to the Ukraine conflict.
Putin, 71, is restricted in his international contacts due to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
The programme for Modi’s visit to Russia has been elaborately staged since Monday. Putin received his guest at his residence on the outskirts of Moscow.
According to the Kremlin, the two not only spoke for three hours, they also travelled together in an electric cart and watched a horse show.
However, Modi’s warm embrace of Putin in Moscow coincided with images of a children’s hospital in Kiev that was destroyed by a Russian missile. Modi’s visit has drawn sharp criticism from many leaders in the West, as well as from the leadership in Ukraine.
“It is a great disappointment and a low blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hugging the world’s bloodiest criminal on such a day in Moscow,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
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