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Despite defence being a traditional pillar of India–Russia cooperation, the subject received visibly restrained treatment at this year’s summit, an approach that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri acknowledged while speaking to media persons after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin.
Misri confirmed that defence issues were discussed, but emphasised that the leaders largely confined themselves to broad assessments rather than new commitments.
“There was a general discussion on the robustness and longstanding nature of the India–Russia defence and technical cooperation,” he said, noting that much of the conversation focused on “legacy cooperation” and Russia’s participation in ongoing Make in India initiatives.
However, Misri did not share any specifics and pointed reporters to the separate meeting held a day earlier between the defence ministers, declining to detail what transpired at the leaders’ table. “For the specifics,” he stated, “you would have to refer to the discussions that took place between the two defence ministers.”
Muted tone tied to sanctions overhang
Officials familiar with the diplomatic context say the decision to keep the defence portion of the summit low-key reflects the renewed threat of U.S. sanctions, following Donald Trump’s recent warning that Washington could target countries deepening military cooperation with Moscow.
While India has previously navigated the CAATSA sanctions regime through quiet diplomacy, Trump’s fresh warnings have created an environment in which Delhi is exercising visible caution in public messaging.
The foreign secretary did not mention the U.S. directly, but his emphasis that the summit’s “overarching focus“ was economic, not military, was widely read as a deliberate downplay.
Defence framework remains active
Notwithstanding the muted tone, the structural architecture of defence cooperation remains intact. Misri noted that India–Russia military and military-technical ties continue to be “longstanding and robust,“ anchored by joint production, technology transfers and maintenance of Russian-origin platforms already in service with Indian forces.
He also pointed to the Thursday meeting of the India–Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC), where detailed defence matters were discussed separately by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov.
According to Misri, the leaders’ role at the summit was primarily to reaffirm continuity, not to negotiate fresh procurements. “The focus of this particular summit was on economic issues,“ he said, underscoring the government’s desire to highlight trade, connectivity and labour mobility as the visit’s central outcomes.
Balancing act continues
For India, the defence partnership with Russia remains indispensable, given the scale of legacy platforms, supply-chain dependencies and ongoing joint manufacturing projects. But as the geopolitical climate tightens and sanctions talk resurfaces in Washington, New Delhi appears intent on maintaining the relationship without attracting unnecessary scrutiny.
Huma Siddiqui
