Ahead of Putin-Modi meet

NEW DELHI: Russia on Tuesday said that it wants to build a relationship with India that is free from the influence of any third country.
Addressing a press briefing ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s India visit later this week, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “We cannot interfere in the diplomatic relations between the US and India. We understand that there is pressure over India.”
The United States has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, including a 25 per cent penalty, for buying Russian oil.
The Kremlin spokesman said that this is the reason both countries will have to be careful in “creating an architecture of the relationship that must be free of any influence coming from any third country”.
He said the Russia-India relationship is much more important than just a standard set of diplomatic protocols and trade agreements.
“Our bilateral relationship rests on a deep historical background of mutual understanding, partnership, and a shared vision of global affairs and a system grounded in international law, the rule of law, and the ability to take each other’s interests into account. This is a very important characteristic of our relationship.”
Peskov claimed that with Russia combatting unilateral and “illegal” sanctions from the US and European Union, many trading partners are willing to trade in national currencies with Moscow.
He noted that the share of US dollar in global currency was slowly reducing, “Not as fast, but it is a trend”.
The Kremlin spokesperson said that Russia is proud to have been “shoulder to shoulder next to our Indian friends during their historic growth.”
He also expressed his gratitude to India for its “very friendly stand” towards Russia.
He informed that S400 missile battery (sales and joint manufacturing) and SU57 will be on the agenda during Putin’s upcoming summit meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
New Delhi is reportedly planning to acquire more S400 missile defence systems from Russian following their recent success during the Operation Sindoor.
The Kremlin spokesperson also condemned the Red Fort bomb blast and called for international cooperation to combat terrorism.
“We strongly condemn terrorism. Our country has suffered a lot because of terrorism. We know that India has faced this threat numerous times. We think that the only way to combat terrorism is to have international cooperation…,” Peskov added.
Agencies