Reuters
Under the above heading, Eurasia Expert has published the transcript of an interview with Nandan Unikrishnan, Vice President of the Observer Research Foundation (India), on what tempts the Indian army to cooperate with Russia.
In the meeting, it was stated: In January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that India was “a very distinguished and close strategic partner.” The two countries are cooperating effectively in the military-technical sphere: by the end of 2021, New Delhi should receive the first five regiments of S-400 missiles; On February 3, there was talk about a possible deal for the joint production of the fighter MiG-35; And in the summer of 2020, an aircraft deal was struck MiG-29 And the Su-30MKI Worth one billion dollars. The guest of the newspaper revealed what attracts India in cooperation with Russia, so he said in answer to the following question:
India’s portfolio of Russian military equipment and weapons orders exceeds $ 14 billion, so what types of Russian weapons are New Delhi’s interest in?
I can say that it is submarines, frigates and cruisers, that is, what is used in the Navy. New Delhi is also interested in aviation and various air defense systems.
India is looking for these weapons all over the world, and not only in Russia. But Russia has something that India cannot get anywhere.
For example, it could get a long-term lease on a nuclear submarine. Nobody in the world except Russia is going to give India a nuclear submarine.
Why, in your opinion, is Russian equipment popular in the Indian arms market?
Because the Soviet Union used to provide us with nearly 90% of what our army used. Moving away from this dependence takes time, and this process is not easy, and it occurs gradually. Now, dependence on Russia has fallen to 60%, and it will decline further and further, in percentage terms, not necessarily in financial value.
Presumably, for the time being, let’s assume that India pays Russia one or two billion dollars annually for various purchases. This amount will remain unchanged, as financial opportunities in India are expanding. And they can find financing to buy from other countries as well.
The article expresses only the opinion of the newspaper or writer
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