State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, at a media briefing in Washington DC on Monday, spoke of how India was a key partner to the US.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’stwo-day trip to Russia is attracting a lot of attention from the Western countries. This is his first visit to Russia since 2019. On Tuesday, Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will jointly lead the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit at the Kremlin. Meanwhile, NATO allies are also holding a summit in Ukraine on the same day to show their support for Ukraine.
Modi was greeted at the airport by Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, who escorted him to his hotel. The US State Department commented on the informal meeting later held between Modi and Putin, which took place at the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, near Moscow, on Monday (July 8).
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, at a media briefing in Washington DC on Monday, spoke of how India was a key partner to the US. He said the discussions between the two countries were “open and honest” to the extent of voicing US concerns our concerns over India’s ties with Russia. He made this statement only hours after Modi received a red-carpet welcome and a guard of honour at Vnukovo-II International Airport in Moscow.
Miller described the meeting as an “important step” concerning the Ukraine situation. He said the US urged India, and any other country that had close ties with Russia, to stress that the Ukraine conflict resolution in any form had to be in consonance with the UN Charter and uphold sanctity of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.
Media reports quoting sources in the Indian government said Modi had advised Putin that the Ukraine conflict resolution was not possible on the ‘battlefield’. The Economic Times reported that the Prime Minister emphasised that countries in the Global South wanted both Russia and Ukraine to engage in negotiations.
Modi Wants Stronger Ties with Russia
New Delhi maintains that Modi’s visit is strictly a bilateral event and would be restricted to reviewing and enhancing cooperation in various areas, such as defence, energy, trade, investments and connectivity. Before leaving for Moscow on Monday, Modi said they would also discuss different regional and global issues.
After arriving in Moscow on Monday afternoon, Modi stressed that he wished to further strengthen the Russia-India Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, especially in “futuristic areas”. Later, Modi engaged with Putin in informal talks at his presidential residence. Videos shared by the Kremlin showed the two leaders having a relaxed conversation, sometimes even without translators.
According to a summary of the meeting by the Kremlin, Putin congratulated Modi on his re-election as Prime Minister for a third term. The Russian President attributed Modi’s electoral victory to his many years of dedicated service as the head of India’s government. Congratulating Modi, Putin said the results were clearIndia was now “confidently the third-largest economy in the world”.
Noting that the 73-year-old leader had devoted his entire life to serving the people of India, Putin also emphasised that India’s growing population of 1.4 billion showed that people felt secure and confident under Modi’s rule and that this indicated that they experienced a sense of stability, which was very important. Modi thanked Putin for organizing the “interesting” meeting at the presidential residence and promised to keep serving India and its people during his third term, as this was his only aim.
Major Energy and Trade Projects
Russia and India are currently discussing several important energy and trade infrastructure projects.
- Nuclear Power Collaboration
The Russian state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, announced that it was negotiating with India to build six additional high-power nuclear reactors. These units will be of Russian design and will be constructed at a new location in India. Rosatom also proposes building low-power N-plants in India. In April 2024, Russia provided India with proposals for floating nuclear power plants as part of this new area of cooperation
Both countries are also in talks on how Russian energy resource supply, including that of oil, coal and liquefied natural gas, could be systematized. The plan involves transporting these resources from Russia’s northwestern ports through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) to Indian ports, with trans-shipment occurring at Russian far-eastern ports
Modi Lauds ‘Trustworthy’ Friendship
Modi praised the strong and enduring relationship between India and Russia during a diaspora event in Moscow, describing Russia as India’s ‘trustworthy, all-weather friend’ and a partner that had seen India in both ups and downs. He stressed that the foundation of Indo-Russian ties was laid by building on “mutual trust and respect”. He applauded Putin’s leadership, which has been crucial in maintaining the close bond between the two nations.
The Prime Minister noted that every Indian saw Russia as a reliable friend and, even during the harshest of winter conditions with sub-zero temperatures in Russia, Indo-Russian friendship had always been in the ‘plus’ and full of warmth. He stated that the famous song, ‘Mera Joota Hai Japani’, which was popular in Russia, might be old, but the sentiment it conveyed remained evergreen. Modi’s remarks highlighted the historical and unwavering nature of Indo-Russian partnership that had stood the test of time.
(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)
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 "Modi Evokes Cultural Resonance in Bolstering India-Russia Bonds")
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