[ad_1]
Russian and Indian leaders on Friday announced a series of multi-billion dollar contracts, including for an air defense system, while New Delhi is walking the tightrope between Moscow and Washington with a wary eye to China.
The flagship deal announced during a visit to India by President Vladimir Putin targeted the formidable S-400 ground-to-air missile defense system, worth $ 5.2 billion, according to a Indian source.
Other agreements – following a friendly meeting between Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi – concerned the railways, fertilizers and space, Russia pledging to train astronauts for the first crewed space mission to India in 2022.
India's decision to buy the S-400 goes against the United States that impose sanctions on countries that buy Russian military equipment, as was the case with China's last month.
US-Russian relations have not been there since the Cold War, but Western powers have accused Moscow of orchestrating a horrendous series of cyberattacks around the world.
However, Washington is in a delicate position with India, seeking to strengthen its ties with the Asian giant to counter the growing claim of China, which also shook New Delhi.
Last year, India and China had a military clash on a Himalayan plateau claimed by Beijing and Bhutan, a close ally of India.
China has also disrupted India by lending large sums of money to countries in the Indian Ocean where it has dominated for a long time.
"It is also important for India to maintain friendly relations with the Russians so that they do not fully penetrate the Chinese camp," said Manoj Joshi of the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think tank .
"In addition, unlike the United States, Russian regional interests overlap much of India's regional policy," he told AFP.
Last month, Washington and New Delhi announced their intention to organize joint military exercises in 2019 and agreed on the exchange of sensitive military information. The United States is now the second largest arms supplier in India.
India could therefore expect to gain a listening ear if it asked for a waiver of sanctions imposed by the United States, but the administration of President Donald Trump said that this was unlikely.
– Iranian oil –
Russia and India have been close since the 1950s and Moscow remains its main source of arms as it prepares for potential threats perceived by China and Pakistan.
India is also upset by Trump's decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal reached in 2015 between the major powers and Iran, India's main oil supplier of the Indian economy in strong growth.
Meanwhile, the Indo-Russian annual trade has fallen below $ 10 billion since 2014, while Modi had closer diplomatic and economic relations with Washington, while Russia has courted Pakistan and China.
Russian VTB chief Andrei Kostin said on Friday that the two countries are planning to triple the flow of goods and services in both directions, which is expected to reach $ 30 billion.
"We have a strategic partnership and a very harmonious dialogue at the political level," Kostin told reporters.
"But we must complete this with the strengthening of economic ties."
mp-bb-abh-stu / gle
Russian President Vladimir Putin should conclude arms sales deals with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, worth several billion dollars
