Russia and India seek joint military equipment production, says Lavrov
Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Getty Images)
Russia and India have allegedly achieved significant progress in negotiations on plans for joint production of military technology, says Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov stated that such cooperation has a strategic nature, aligns with the interests of both countries and contributes to ensuring security in the Eurasian continent.
According to Lavrov, Moscow respects India's desire to diversify suppliers of military equipment and is ready to support New Delhi's ambition to manufacture necessary goods in India.
It is also publically known that the Indian army possesses Russian Su-30MKI aircraft, Mi-17 helicopters, S-400 missile systems, and T-90 tanks.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated that he discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel with Lavrov.
India's stance on the Russian-Ukrainian war
India has not explicitly condemned Russia's military invasion, but it has not endorsed it either. India has increased its purchase of Russian oil after Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak claimed that half of Russia's oil and oil product exports in 2023 went to China, while India's share increased to 40% over two years.
India also calls on the Group of Seven (G7) nations to postpone the ban on Russian diamonds according to the 12th package of sanctions against the aggressor country. New Delhi believes that the rules for tracking the origin of diamonds remain unclear.
