Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the close and decades-long bilateral ties between their two countries during official talks in Moscow.
India and Russia are linked by a “privileged strategic partnership,” Putin said during the meeting in the Kremlin.
Trade between the two countries has increased by 60% in the past year, reaching the equivalent of $65 billion, according to India’s commerce ministry, with Indian imports of oil and fertilizer from Russia accounting for the bulk.
“Every Indian feels in his heart that Russia is a friend of India in good times and bad,” Modi stressed 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 Putin’s leadership qualities.
India has traditionally maintained good relations with Russia, although it also maintains close ties with Western countries, which want to work closely with India as China becomes increasingly aggressive.
On the other hand, the close relationship between Russia and China 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.”
The Modi government is seeking to take a pragmatic stance on Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
With Russian oil 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 his attention to finding a solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
Putin, 71, is restricted in his international contacts due to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
The program for Modi’s visit to Russia has been elaborately staged since Monday, with Putin receiving his guest at his residence on the outskirts of Moscow.
According to the Kremlin, the two not only spoke for three hours, but also rode together in an electric cart and watched a horse show.
Modi’s warm embrace of Putin in Moscow, however, coincided with images of a children’s hospital in Kiev being 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 setback for peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy on such a day in Moscow embracing the world’s bloodiest criminal,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
