- Putin said sanctions threats against India would fail.
- He praised India’s independent decision-making.
- Putin said India always acts in its national interest.
- Russia remains ready to sell Su-57 fighter jets to India.
- He highlighted long-term defense cooperation between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that any attempt to undermine India’s sovereignty through threats of sanctions would not succeed under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Putin made the remarks at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday. He was responding to a question about comments he made during a meeting with heads of leading global news agencies, including PTI, the previous night.
"India always acts as a sovereign country, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, any potential threats of sanctions would boomerang immediately," Putin said.
The Russian president said he has maintained close discussions with Prime Minister Modi over many years. During his remarks, he recalled a period when Modi was barred from entering the United States.
“I know PM Modi will never forget about it,” Putin said. “Now that he is (the) prime minister, all the sanctions have been eliminated, and the relationship between the US and India is developing successfully as far as I understand.”
Putin was asked whether India could face sanctions from the United States if it decided to purchase Russian defense systems such as the Su-57 fighter aircraft or the S-500 air defense system.
In response, he stressed India’s right to make its own decisions.
“India is a sovereign country, and it is free to choose those products that they consider to be most up to date and most applicable for them and obviously offering the best price. No matter what people say, India has always been acting in this manner."
He added, “India is always guided by its national interests.”
Putin also emphasized that Russia’s relationship with India is not influenced by changing political conditions.
"We can’t be dictated... Nobody can dictate to us, and nobody would even try to do that. We are always going to do what we consider to be right, and we will always stand true to the commitments given to partners, especially partners like India,” he said.
The Russian leader highlighted the special nature of relations between the two countries, particularly in the defense sector.
“Our relations with the Indian friends are specific, thanks to our mutual trust. We concentrate not just on trade. Not just on buying and selling, we're also concentrating on joint research and development."
Putin pointed to the BrahMos missile project as an example of successful cooperation. He said experts from both countries continue to work together on the design and development of the missile system.
Speaking about the Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet, Putin said Russia had previously proposed a joint development project with India. However, the plan did not move forward, and Russia completed the project independently.
"Su-57 is a very good aircraft, probably the most modern one, the most up-to-date in the world as of now," Putin said.
"We offered that we should do that together. Well, it didn't work out, but we did it on our own, and we stand ready to sell Su-57."
Russia has been India’s largest defense supplier for decades. However, supply chain problems and delivery delays linked to the war in Ukraine have pushed India to diversify its defense purchases.
India is also developing its own Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft (AMCA), considered the country’s biggest indigenous aerospace project.
Since the AMCA is not expected to enter service before 2035, the government is considering the purchase of at least two squadrons, or around 36, Su-57 fighter jets if they meet the required technical specifications.
