New Delhi: In what will be a strong signal to close strategic partner the United States that India’s ties with time-tested friend Russia would remain strong and robust, India will host Russian President Vladimir Putin who will land in New Delhi on October 4 and hold detailed delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the following day on October 5 in New Delhi.
According to reports, India is set to ink a much talked-about contract to acquire S-400 missiles from Russia worth nearly about US$ 6 billion during the visit although government officials did not confirm whether the deal would indeed be inked during the Presidential visit.
India had earlier decided to go ahead with the contract to acquire these missiles from Russia much to the discomfiture of the US whose ties with Moscow are under severe strain. Caught in a difficult situation, India is however hoping to seek a waiver from the US to escape American sanctions on Russian military exports. India is also hoping to sustain and build on the momentum of the hugely successful informal summit at the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi in May this year between President Putin and PM Modi.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had also visited Russia earlier this month on September 13 and 14.
India and the US had earlier this month held their 2+2 dialogue at the foreign and defence ministerial level in New Delhi during which India had put across its case firmly to Washington for a waiver on the acquisition of S-400 missiles from Russia.
While defence and civil nuclear sectors are the mainstay of the decades-long Indo-Russian cooperation, Ms. Swaraj had visited Russia to attend the meeting of the 23rd India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Technical & Economic Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) co-chaired by her and Yuri Borisov, Russian deputy Prime Minister.
IRIGC-TEC is a standing body which annually meets and reviews ongoing activities of bilateral cooperation in the fields of bilateral trade and investment, science and technology, culture and other issues of mutual interest.
