Defence ties in focus at Rajnath-Putin meeting
Hindustan TimesDefence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, with a focus on bilateral defence cooperation as the two leaders stressed the “immense potential” of the India-Russia partnership, according to an official statement. On the second day of his visit, Rajnath also met his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov and asked Moscow to speed up the delivery of the two remaining squadrons of the S-400 air defence missile systems, sought enhanced spares and maintenance support for the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 fleet, and urged Russia to explore the possibility of making India a hub for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of T-90 and T-72 tanks, people aware of the matter said. During the meeting, Singh also highlighted the need to consider exporting the Russian-origin AK-203 assault rifles being jointly manufactured at a facility in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, adding that more Russian weapons and systems could be produced in India, while focusing attention on new opportunities for enhancing the participation of the Russian industry in Make-in-India projects to strengthen the country’s military capabilities, the people said, asking not to be named. We are committed to further strengthening India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” Singh wrote on X. Singh’s two meetings came a day after INS Tushil, the country’s latest stealth missile frigate, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia, in the presence of Singh, who described the warship as a “proud testament” to India’s growing maritime might and a “significant milestone” in the long-standing friendship between the two countries.