Despite concerns in New Delhi that the military offensive in Ukraine was hurting its own military supplies from Moscow, India and Russia have agreed to strengthen their defense partnership, according to a statement from the Indian government.
On Friday, Rajnath Singh and Sergei Shoigu spoke outside of a session of the defense ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in New Delhi.
According to a government release, “They acknowledged the special, enduring, and time-tested relationship between India and Russia.”
They “reiterated their commitment to strengthening the partnership and expressed satisfaction over the continued trust and mutual respect between the two countries, particularly in defense,” it stated without going into further detail.
India, the greatest arms importer in the world, has purchased fighter planes, tanks, nuclear submarines, and an aircraft carrier throughout the years. Nearly half of India’s military equipment comes from Russia.
However, the conflict in Ukraine has slowed down deliveries of Russian air defense systems as well as supplies of Russian spare parts that India needs to maintain its fleets of tanks and fighter jets.
