New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to meet Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov in New Delhi tomorrow as part of ongoing high-level discussions on defence cooperation and strategic partnership between India and Russia.
The meeting comes after Russia’s State Duma cleared a key military logistics agreement with India ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to New Delhi. The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistic Support (RELOS) agreement, signed earlier this year on February 18, was recently sent forward for ratification by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the decision demonstrated the strength of bilateral relations, describing the India-Russia partnership as “strategic and comprehensive” and calling the approval another step toward enhanced cooperation.
Details posted on the Duma website indicate that the pact will enable military aircraft, naval vessels, and other units from both countries to access each other’s facilities for joint exercises, training, humanitarian work, and disaster-relief operations.
President Putin will attend the 23rd annual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where defence and trade are expected to feature prominently. Ahead of the visit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said possible discussions could include the deployment of an additional S-400 missile system and talks on the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
He described the Su-57 as “the best plane in the world” and signaled Moscow’s willingness to expand defence technology collaboration, including joint efforts such as BrahMos missiles. Peskov also highlighted Russia’s aim to bolster cooperation in the civil nuclear sector, stating that Moscow is prepared to offer India compact reactor technology while continuing work on existing projects like Kudankulam. (ANI)
