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As anticipated, the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi concluded without any big-ticket announcements on defence or energy -two pillars traditionally associated with depth and momentum in the bilateral relationship. While the joint statement issued on Friday by President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed the “enduring strategic partnership,” the deliverables were strikingly modest. Headlines instead centred on agreements in maritime cooperation and labour mobility, underscoring a shift in focus away from high-visibility military deals.
Putin, nevertheless, praised the defence negotiations held over the two-day summit, casting them as a continuation of a half-century-old partnership under which Russia has been central to arming and modernising India’s military across land, air and maritime domains.
“Russia and India are traditionally closely cooperating in the military technical sphere. Our country, for the last half a century, has been helping to arm and modernise the Indian Army, including the air defence forces, aviation and the Navy in general. We are undoubtedly satisfied with the results of the negotiation we just had,” he said, in remarks that highlighted historical continuity rather than any forward-looking breakthroughs.
Critically, neither leader referenced specific defence platforms or procurement programmes – whether ongoing projects such as the S-400 air defence system or discussions around modernising the Su-30MKI fleet. Potential areas of future collaboration, including joint production of components for Sukhoi and MiG aircraft, upgrades to India’s armoured formations, and extensions to air-defence cooperation, such as the BrahMos programme, were mentioned only as possibilities, not as decisions. The absence of concrete commitments pointed to a cautious, low-profile approach shaped by shifting geopolitical constraints, India’s deepening diversification of defence suppliers, and Russia’s own industrial pressures amid the Ukraine conflict.
Deliberate Restraint: India Signals Calibration
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri acknowledged the subdued treatment of defence during his post-summit briefing, describing the leaders’ engagement on the issue as “general” and centred on “the robustness and longstanding nature” of the defence relationship. He stressed that discussions were confined to broad assessments and references to legacy cooperation, with little emphasis on new initiatives.
His insistence that specifics lay within the purview of the previous day’s meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov highlighted New Delhi’s deliberate signalling: defence cooperation continues, but India is not keen to spotlight it amid heightened global scrutiny of Russia’s military-industrial ecosystem.
Defence Ministers’ Meeting: Continuity, Not Expansion
The 22nd session of the India–Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC), co-chaired on Thursday by Singh and Belousov, similarly produced more continuity than expansion. Both sides reaffirmed the “deep trust” underpinning the relationship and explored prospects in niche technologies, with Russia reiterating its willingness to support India’s push towards defence self-reliance under Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Belousov, representing Moscow’s defence establishment at a time of intense operational demand back home, highlighted the long-standing strategic cooperation between the two countries and invited Singh to co-chair the next IRIGC session in Russia in 2026. The protocol signed at the end of the meeting outlined ongoing and prospective areas of cooperation, but again stopped short of unveiling any new joint projects or procurement decisions. The presence of the three Service Chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff signalled institutional seriousness, yet the outcomes reflected a cautious, maintenance-mode engagement.
The restrained tenor of this year’s summit reflects the evolving dynamics of India–Russia defence ties. While the partnership remains politically important and operationally relevant – especially for legacy platforms-structural factors are clearly reshaping its trajectory. India’s procurement diversification, an accelerating push for indigenous capability, and the sanctions-shadowed constraints on Russia’s defence industry all contribute to a more measured, less public posture.
In this context, the Modi–Putin summit underscored continuity rather than rejuvenation. Defence cooperation remains a strategic pillar, but one managed with greater discretion and fewer headline-grabbing outcomes.
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
