Russia and India have allegedly made tangible progress in negotiations on plans to jointly produce military equipment.
This was reported by Reuters.
Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov said that such cooperation “is strategic, in the interests of both countries and will contribute to security on the Eurasian continent.”
Lavrov also said that Moscow respects India’s desire to diversify its military equipment suppliers and is ready to support New Delhi’s desire to produce the goods it needs in India.
According to public information, the Indian army has Russian Su-30MKI aircraft, Mi-17 helicopters, S-400 air defense systems, and T-90 tanks.
Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar said he had discussed the war in Ukraine and Israel with Lavrov.
India’s attitude to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
India did not directly condemn Russia’s military invasion, but neither did it support it. India also began to buy more Russian oil after Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that half of Russia’s oil and oil products exports in 2023 went to China, while India’s share increased to 40% in two years.
India also calls on the Group of Seven (G7) countries to postpone the ban on Russian diamonds under the 12th package of sanctions against the aggressor country. New Delhi believes that the rules for tracing the origin of diamonds remain unclear.
