New Delhi: India and Russia signed 28 agreements on December 6 at the 21st edition of their annual summit. President Vladimir Putin came for a five-hour visit amid increasingly strained relations between Russia and the United States over Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the initiatives under the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership will widen the scope of cooperation to new areas.
In addition to the deal for India to produce AK-203 assault rifles, Russia said it was interested in continuing to provide S-400 air defense missile systems. India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the two countries had signed 28 investment pacts, including deals on steel, shipbuilding, coal, and energy.
A joint statement published after the talks said Russia and India had “reiterated their intention to strengthen defense cooperation, including in the joint development of production of military equipment.”
