India and Russia Agree to Strengthen Defense Relations

The Indian government announced today that it has agreed with Russia to enhance their defense partnership during talks between the defense ministers of both countries, amid concerns in New Delhi that the war in Ukraine might affect its military supplies from Moscow. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held discussions on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization defense ministers in New Delhi. An Indian government statement said the ministers "acknowledged the unique and longstanding relationship that has withstood the test of time between India and Russia." It added that the ministers "expressed their satisfaction with the continued mutual trust and respect between the two countries, especially in the field of defense, and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the partnership," without going into further details.