Putin, Modi eye gains in closer Russia-India tiesーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
The leaders of Russia and India have held summit talks in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged President Vladimir Putin to accelerate negotiations toward a peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine. [Music] Putin arrived in India’s capital on Thursday for a two-day state visit. It’s his first visit to the country since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. At the start of the meeting, Modi talked about the situation in Ukraine. The welfare of the world can only be achieved on the path of peace. All of us should look for peaceful ways. Looking at the efforts being made in the last few days, I firmly believe that the world will return to the path of peace. Putin thanked Modi for giving him a chance to explain his views on the conflict in detail. The leaders are believed to have exchanged opinions on strengthening cooperation in the fields of the economy, security, and energy. Putin reportedly hopes to use proceeds from crude oil sales to India to help bankroll Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. India has ramped up its purchases of Russian oil whose price has fallen due to sanctions. India is also a major buyer of Russian weaponry. Before the meeting, the Russian presidential office said the leaders would discuss India’s possible purchase of Russia’s latest surfaceto-air missile system and a state-of-the-art fighter jet. NHK’s New Delhi bureau chief Yamaka Mitaka joins us now. So Mitaka, the talks wrapped up about two hours ago. So what are you hearing about them? Indian government officials say the meeting between Modi and Putin was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere from start to finish. After the meeting, the leaders adopted a joint statement. It calls for economic cooperation through 2030 and strengthening ties in civilian nuclear energy and defense. After the meeting, Modi and Putin are attending the business forum. Later there’s a banquet. Security is tight around the summit venue. Just last month there was a terrorist attack in New Delhi. A car bomb exploded near the Red Fort a world heritage site crowded with tourists killing 10 people and injuring more than 30. Police and security forces raised the alarm level and have stepped up patrols in the capital. Thank you Mitcha. We’ll come back to you later. And we have NHK’s Moscow bureau chief Noad Junko in the Russian capital. So Junko, what do you see Putin aiming for in this meeting? One of his key aims is to show that Russia is not isolated internationally. He wants to highlight that his country’s traditional friendly ties with India remain intact, especially as the US, Europe, and Japan continue tightening sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Attention is also on whether India will keep importing Russian crude. India has sharply increased its purchases as Russian oil prices have fallen under sanctions. It bought 35% of Russia’s oil exports last year, making it the second largest importer after China, which bought 44%. The US has urged India to stop buying Russian oil as part of efforts to achieve a she’s fire in Ukraine. Washington has raised additional tariffs on imports from New Delhi to 50%. And this October, the US imposed sanctions on two major Russian oil firms. That pressure has led some Indian companies to hold imports of Russian crude. Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Pascov told Indian media that Russia’s economic ties with India are the most important element of their relationship. What concerns us is the way we’re going to continue and enlarge the volume of our bilateral business with India, not letting anyone interfere in that. And this will be definitely discussed. His comment suggests that Putin urged India to continue importing Russian crude to help fund Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin said on Friday he had explained to Modi the situation in Ukraine and efforts underway to resolve the conflict. He thanked the prime minister for his attention to the matter. Indian has remained neutral and has not taken part in sanctions against Russia. I believe Putin is trying to pull Modi closer to Russia at a time of when relations between India and the US are strained. All right. Thank you very much for that Junko. NHK’s Moscow bureau chief Noda Junko. And now let’s go back to Yamaka Mitaka in New Delhi. So Mitaka, we just heard what Putin hopes to get out of this talk. So what is Modi aiming to achieve? One of his key priorities is strengthening India’s hand in negotiations with the United States. Right now tariff talks with President Dand Trump are major challenge. Trump throbbed an additional 50% tariff on India to punish it for buying cheap Russian crude. India called the move unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. For now, there’s no sign either side is ready to compromise. A Japanese expert says closer ties with Russia could give India a stronger card in negotiations with US over trade and investment for India. Russia can function as an insurance card. If relations with other major powers stall, New Delhi can fall back on Moscow, a traditional friend. By using its relationship with Russia, India can keep the US in check. India isn’t only dealing with the US. It also has border tensions with China and Pakistan. In particular, the conflict with Pakistan has worsened since the terrorist attack in Kashmir in April. The two sides agreed to a ceasefire, but the situation remains tense. An Indian government official told NHK that New Delhi sees strong security ties with Russia as essential to maintaining its defense capabilities. Beyond access to cheap Russian crude, Russia’s international influence backed by military power is another attraction for India. India is trying to secure enough energy for its more than 1.4 4 billion people to sustain high economic growth. That’s the main reason why New York is deepening ties with Moscow.
With the war in Ukraine raging in the background, the leaders of Russia and India have held a summit in New Delhi. We look at what both sides hope to gain from the talks. #russia #india
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