नवीनतम
Doval in Moscow as India & Russia look to enhance defence cooperation
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Amid a tense situation between India and the US over trade with Russia, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss India's strategic partnership and defence ties with Russia, reported TASS, Russia's state-owned news agency.
Around the same time, India and Russia also reaffirmed their commitment to boost bilateral defence cooperation during a meeting between Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar and Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin in Moscow.
According to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Indian envoy called on Col-Gen Fomin, who is in charge of international defence cooperation, and the meeting was held in a “warm and friendly atmosphere, customary for Russian-Indian ties”.
“During the conversation, the two sides discussed in detail the pertinent issues of bilateral interaction in the sphere of defence and confirmed their intent toward the further strengthening of relevant cooperation in the spirit of a particularly privileged strategic partnership,” said the statement.
The meeting took place amid US President Donald Trump's threats to slap harsh sanctions on India for buying crude oil from Russia.
While Doval’s visit was scheduled, it now holds greater significance given Trump’s criticism of India’s oil imports from Russia. “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits,” Trump said on Truth Social on Monday. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine.”
India rejected these allegations, saying the US encouraged it to import Russian oil at the start of the Ukraine conflict to strengthen the stability of global energy markets. “Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jasiwal said in a statement on Monday. “The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable.”
Trump previously threatened 100% tariffs on countries trading with Russia unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal with Ukraine. “We hear a lot of statements that are actually threats trying to force countries to stop trading with Russia,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday with regard to India’s purchases of Russian oil.
“We do not consider these statements to be legitimate. We believe that sovereign countries should have the right to choose their own trading partners for economic cooperation, to choose cooperation in the interests of a particular country,” Peskov stated. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is also expected to travel to Russia later this month.
