India is set to begin formal talks to purchase fifth-generation Sukhoi-57 fighters and an advanced version of the S-500 missile defense system during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit, which began on Thursday.
According to Bloomberg, citing informed sources, these talks will be held within the framework of the special and privileged strategic partnership between New Delhi and Moscow and are expected to lead to large contracts in the field of advanced weapons.
The move comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has put intense pressure on India to halt or sharply reduce its military and energy purchases from Russia.
Relations between Washington and New Delhi have cooled following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s active participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China, as well as India’s continued large-scale purchases of Russian oil.
Reuters, pointing to the importance of this trip, wrote: “Russia has been India’s main arms supplier for decades, and even after widespread Western sanctions following the Ukraine war, India remains the largest buyer of Russian offshore oil.”
Indian sources have announced that Vladimir Putin will focus on increasing Russian oil and gas sales to India during this visit, in addition to advanced weapons.
Analysts see this trip as a direct response to US pressure and a sign of deepening strategic cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi.
