The Russian president said he has not seen any serious adverse effects on relations with India from Washingtons attempts at coercion
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said US attempts to exert pressure on India over its ties with Moscow are "futile."
"The US is trying to pressure India on certain issues, particularly on certain issues of cooperation with Russia," Putin said. "Pressuring Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi, who leads a country with a population of 1.5 billion, is futile."
The Russian president made the remarks on Thursday during a Q&A session with the heads of leading global news agencies, including Indian outlet PTI, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Putin stated that coercion harms international and bilateral relations, "no matter from which side this pressure comes." He added, however, that there are no serious adverse effects on India-Russia relations.
"To date, we have not observed any serious adverse effects. Russia and India continue to strengthen their partnership, and we regard India as a reliable partner."
Putin also lauded the Indian prime minister, saying, "India is currently demonstrating the highest economic growth rates among the world's major economies. This doesn't fall out of the sky; it is the result of consistent and purposeful efforts, above all by the government led by... Modi."
New Delhi's ties with Washington do not impact Russia's relations with India, he said, praising the country's independent foreign policy. "We are glad that India is developing relations with all countries. India is a major global power with a population of 1.5 billion people, a rapidly growing economy, and one of the world's largest democracies. It is entirely natural for India to develop relations with a wide range of countries in accordance with its national interests."
Washington pressured India over its purchases of Russian oil, imposing a 50% tariff on its exports to the US, half of which were punitive tariffs for oil purchases from Russia.
Putin noted that Russia has offered the Su-57, an advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, to India as a joint project. "We are ready to supply India with this aircraft, to keep developing it. We don't have any issues or limitations. The same goes for air defense systems."
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Putin expressed confidence in achieving the bilateral trade target of $100 billion set for 2030. "At present, trade turnover stands at approximately $58 to $60 billion. However, all the necessary conditions are in place to intensify our joint efforts and achieve even more ambitious goals."
(RT.com)
