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New Delhi (TIP): Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s independent foreign policy, saying attempts to pressure India over its ties with Moscow were “futile” and ultimately detrimental to international relations.
Responding to a question on whether India’s growing engagement with the United States was creating friction in India-Russia relations, Putin dismissed suggestions of any strain in the strategic partnership and reaffirmed Moscow’s confidence in New Delhi as a reliable partner.
“It is another thing that the United States is trying to pressure India on certain issues, particularly on certain issues of cooperation with Russia. But I think everyone has long since realised that pressuring Prime Minister Modi, who leads a country with a population of 1.5 billion, is futile,” Putin said during an interaction with heads of leading global news agencies at the Constantine Palace in St Petersburg. “Moreover, it harms international relations and bilateral relations, no matter from which side this pressure comes,” he added.
The remarks come ahead of Putin’s visit to India for the BRICS Summit in September and amid continued Western scrutiny of India’s economic and energy ties with Russia.
Describing India-Russia ties as a “special and privileged strategic partnership”, Putin said the relationship had been built over decades and remained resilient despite shifting geopolitical realities.