Putin Defends India-Russia Ties, Slams Western Pressure Over Oil And Trade

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday strongly defended Moscow’s strategic partnership with New Delhi, declaring that Western efforts to force India into scaling back its cooperation with Russia are futile and damaging to global stability.

Speaking during an interactive session with heads of major global news agencies, Putin praised India’s robust economic expansion and its independent foreign policy. He affirmed that Moscow remains determined to broaden its economic engagement with the country, predicting that bilateral trade is on track to achieve a USD 100 billion milestone in the near future.

"India is among the world's major economies and is currently demonstrating an impressive rate of economic growth," Putin remarked, responding to a question from PTI’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Vijay Joshi.

The Russian president's observations come amid growing discomfort in several Western capitals regarding the continuity of India-Russia ties. The United States has repeatedly pressed India to restrict its procurement of Russian crude oil. However, Putin stated that Moscow has observed no adverse effects from Western pressure on India, suggesting that such coercive tactics are bound to fail.

"Everyone has understood that putting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi (and India) that has the largest population in the world, is detrimental for international relations and for bilateral relations. It doesn't matter where this pressure comes from," Putin said, adding, "We don't see any negative consequences."

Lauding the economic trajectory of the South Asian nation, Putin emphasised that India's status as a top-performing global economy did not happen by chance. "This is result of the hardwork that the government of India has been doing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he noted, as reported by PTI.

Addressing concerns about whether New Delhi's growing alignment with Washington creates structural friction for Moscow, Putin emphasised that India will continue to prioritize its own national interests. He stated that India’s diplomatic engagement with the US does not undermine its time-tested ties with Russia.

"We are glad that India is developing its relations with all countries it thinks important for its national interests," Putin said, according to PTI. He reiterated that Russia views India as a "reliable partner" and sees no negative fallout from New Delhi's bilateral relations with any third country. "India is a great nation and democracy and Russia will continue to expand its relations with it," he said.

Turning to international conflicts, the Russian president touched upon the ongoing war in Ukraine, expressing that he remains open to a resolution but noted that the immediate task is to convince Kyiv. PTI reported that Putin dismissed the idea of European Union countries serving as mediators in future peace negotiations. Instead, he argued that the EU could best help resolve the conflict by persuading Kyiv to compromise, rather than continuously supplying it with weapons.

Putin categorised the Ukraine crisis as a "local" issue, contrasting it with the West Asia situation involving Iran, which he labelled a global concern. "How can Russia trust people who have been harping about the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia for years?" he questioned, while affirming that Russia stands ready to support any decision that contributes to de-escalation in West Asia.

The Russian leader also raised questions about the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pointing out that his official presidential mandate has expired. "Will they hold elections or not? We should ask these questions," Putin stated.

(With inputs from PTI)