Putin lands in Delhi with his arms bazaar

NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit for the annual India-Russia summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are expected to ink the S-400 air defence system deal among other key issues, including the US sanctions on Iranian crude oil, the Times of India reported.

Putin was received by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on his arrival following which he reached his counterpart’s official residence Lok Kalyan Marg, where they held a one-on-one meeting. The prime minister hosted a private dinner for the dignitaries and Russian president.

On Friday, the two leaders will hold the 19th India-Russia annual summit. The agenda of the summit is expected to be a discussion on bilateral, regional, and international issues, as reported by news agency PTI. The two will also discuss the US sanctions against Russia and cooperation on counter-terrorism.

Putin is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov among others, according to PTI. Today, upon the arrival of the Russian president, Modi tweeted, “Welcome to India, President Putin. Looking forward to our deliberations, which will further enhance India-Russia friendship,” followed by a tweet in Russian.

A Russian news agency also reported that at the summit, the two countries will sign a number of bilateral agreements, one of them being USD 5 billion arms deal of delivery of S-400 air defence missile to New Delhi. The same was quoted by Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov ahead of his visit. He also said that the signing of the deal will be overseen by Putin and Modi.

While all the noise is around the arms deal, if signed, it could violate the sanctions by the US under Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which is initiated by the US Congress on purchases of arms from Russia. However, the US is in a difficult position when it comes to India. It wants to bolster ties with New Delhi to counter China's growing assertiveness, something that has also rattled India.

Last year India and China had a military standoff over a Himalayan plateau claimed by Beijing and Bhutan, a close ally of India. China has also perturbed India by loaning vast amounts of money to countries such as Sri Lanka where it has long held sway. Putin, 65, and Modi, 68, are also set to discuss a possible second Russian-built nuclear power plant. Moscow is currently expanding India's biggest nuclear power plant in Kudankulam.

Also on the agenda is Russian training for Indian astronauts as New Delhi aims to launch its first crewed space mission in 2022. Rakesh Sharma, the only Indian to travel in space, did so on a Soviet spacecraft in 1984.

But military kit is the main focus. India is the world's biggest arms importer and is undergoing a $100-billion upgrade of its ageing hardware, much of it of Soviet vintage including MiG jets that have frequently crashed in the Indian countryside.

Russia and India have had warm ties since Stalin died in 1953. But annual Russia-India trade has slipped below $10 billion since 2014, as Modi cultivated closer diplomatic and economic ties with Washington, while Russia has courted Pakistan and China.

Ties received a boost last year when Modi and Putin held a fruitful annual bilateral summit, followed by meetings in Astana and at the G20 in Germany. They also met in Sochi this year.

On the strategic front, Russia helped India become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation this year and has backed New Delhi's long-held demand for a permanent UN Security Council seat.

Moscow is also pushing for India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries controlling access to nuclear technology. Afghanistan though has been a sticking point, experts say, where Moscow wants to engage Taliban in the peace process -- a prospect unacceptable to India.