India will face the threat of sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that any attempt to undermine India’s sovereignty through “threats of sanctions” will “immediately backfire” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Putin made the comments on Friday in response to a question about his comments during an interaction with heads of major global news agencies, including PTI, at the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday night.

Putin said, “India always acts as a sovereign country, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, any potential threat of sanctions will be immediately eliminated.”

Putin said he has been in close talks with Prime Minister Modi for a long time, recalling the time when the Indian leader was banned from entering the United States.

“I know that PM Modi will never forget about this,” Putin said. “Now that he is prime minister, all sanctions have been lifted, and as far as I understand, relations between the US and India are developing successfully.” Asked whether India could face US sanctions if it acquires Russian defense systems such as Su-57 aircraft or S-500 air defense platforms, Putin said, “India is a sovereign country, and it is free to choose the products that it considers the most modern and most suitable for them and obviously offer the best price. No matter what people say, India has always acted that way.” “India is always guided by its national interests,” he said.

Putin said that like all other partners, Russia’s cooperation with India is not subject to the political environment.

“We cannot be dictated…No one can dictate us, and no one will even try to do so. We will always do what we believe is right, and we will always live up to the commitments we make to partners, especially partners like India,” he said.

Highlighting Russia’s long-standing ties with India, especially in the defence, Putin said, “Our relations with Indian friends are unique because of our mutual trust. We do not just focus on trade. Not just buying and selling, we are also focusing on joint research and development.” Putin highlighted how experts from both countries are working on the design of the BrahMos medium-range missile.

On the fifth-generation stealth aircraft Sukhoi Su-57, Putin said Russia had earlier proposed a joint development program with India, but later pursued the project independently after the plan was not successful.

“The Su-57 is a very good aircraft, probably the most modern ever, the most modern in the world,” Putin said. “We offered that we should do it together. Well, it didn’t work out, but we did it on our own, and we are ready to sell the Su-57.” For decades, Russia has served as India’s primary defense supplier. However, frequent supply chain disruptions and delivery delays due to the war in Ukraine have forced New Delhi to aggressively diversify its military procurement strategy.

After a years-long quest for a fifth-generation fighter jet, India has launched its ambitious Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project, widely considered the country’s largest indigenous aerospace programme.

Since the aircraft under the AMCA project are not likely to be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) before 2035, the government is considering purchasing at least two squadrons (about 36) of the Su-57, provided they meet the technical specifications.