Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands at a meeting in New Delhi.
India and Russia signed more than two dozens deals on Monday and signed a 10-year defense cooperation pact.
The 21st India-Russia annual summit concluded with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting.
India's Foreign Secretary said Monday at a press briefing that the diversity of agreements and Memorandum of Understandings signed today shows the multi-faceted nature of the partnership. The deals cover a wide range of topics.
India and Russia have signed a program of cooperation in the field of defense for the next ten years.
Russia's relationship with the United States remains strained at a time when Putin is in India.
Modi attended the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit hosted by Biden in September. The United States considers India to be a key ally in the Asia-Pacific to counter China.
According to Richard Rossow, the Wadhwani chair in U.S.-India policy studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the meeting between Modi and Putin showed that India wants to keep its options open.
India is concerned about the reliability of the United States as a partner, not just in defense space, but we have been raising concerns about religious tolerance and things in India.
He said that while they have a majority of their eggs in the United States, they want to make sure they keep options open. Rossow explained that Moscow wants to make sure that no one country, including China, has control over Asia.
He said that both have a strategic interest regardless of the relationship with the United States.
In a joint statement on Monday, India and Russia said they intend to upgrade the defence cooperation, including facilitating joint development and production of military equipment, components and spare parts, enhancing the after-sales service system, and progress towards mutual recognition of quality control.
Russia is one of India's largest arms suppliers. A report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute shows that 23% of Russian arms exports went to the South Asian country between 2016 and 2020.
Russia has begun delivering its long-range S-400 surface-to-air missile defense systems to India, according to the Foreign Secretary.
He said that supplies have begun this month and will continue to happen, and that he doesn't think we need to look at our relationship in the light of any other relationship.
The partnership could lead to sanctions from the United States under a law that was passed in order to discourage allies from purchasing Russian arms. Turkey was sanctioned by the US last year for its purchase of the S-400 missile system.
The two countries signed a deal to make more than 600,000 Russian AK-203 assault rifles in India, according to media reports.
The lack of areas where they have shared interests limits the extent of military cooperation between India and Russia.
Over the next 10 years, you will see some nominal exercises, continued defense sales, and maybe some areas of technology cooperation. The practicality on the ground is still going to be limited because they don't have a lot of theaters where they have shared interests.
India has increased its purchases of military equipment from the United States, but a majority of its defense inventory is still from Russia.
The U.S. and India signed a deal last year that will allow New Delhi to access U.S. satellite data.
