Changing Parameters of Relations

Realignment of geopolitical interest of Russia

• Anti U.S. attitude - Moscow‘s policies are driven largely by relentless hostility towards the US and containing the western alliance led by US.
• This has literally driven Moscow into the arms of Beijing, and has resulting in a virtual Moscow-Beijing alliance to counter American hegemony.
•  While this trend would clearly pit Russia into an orbit that is hostile to India, there have nevertheless been efforts by Delhi to strengthen ties with Moscow.
•  Internationally, India and Russia work together in forums like BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
•  Also, Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral is another forum of cooperation that was initially promoted by Russia.
•  Taliban Factor - Russian has joined with China and Pakistan calling for negotiations with Afghan Taliban, which will give legitimacy to the Taliban.
• This is ironic, given that approximately 14,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in action between 1979 and 1989 against the ISI-backed radical Afghan groups.
•  While this will cement Russia into what is an anti-India pole, it will also weaken India‘s international rhetoric against terrorism.

Defence Cooperation

In the entire spectrum of Russian-Indian relations, military-technical cooperation has traditionally been accorded the most prominent status. The first deals involving the deliveries of Soviet weapon systems to India were made in 1962 when India purchased helicopters, transport aircraft and the MiG-21 jet fighters. In the same year, the construction of production facilities for military hardware was undertaken at Nasik, Koraput and Hyderabad. In the year 2000, an agreement was reached between our two countries on the creation of an Inter-governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation, inter-governmental accords were signed on the purchase and production in India of cutting-edge Russian tanks, armoured vehicles and fighter aircraft under Russian licenses and also on the transfer to India of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier.

Present scenario of defense cooperation

• The approximately 270 Russian Sukhoi-30 fighters are the main element of the IAF‘s strike and air defence potential.
•  An aircraft carrier with MiG-29 aircrafts, a leased nuclear submarine, guided missile frigates and over 900 T-90 tanks are other important equipments.
•  Multi-barrelled launchers, and the Indo-Russia collaborative development Brahmos missiles are currently vital defence arsenal.
•  Light helicopters and S-400 Triumph air defence systems are recent additions to the vast amount of Russian equipment in our military.
•  Russian defence exports to India in recent years account for 39% of its total exports and there are clear mutual interdependence in the trade.
•  While there are some concerns about Russian recent defence sales to Pakistan, there isn‘t much market there due to Pakistan‘s financial limitations.
•  Both India and Russia is working for a political resolution of the conflict in Syria, through an inclusive Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political process which safeguards the state sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria in pursuance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015). They reiterated their support for the Geneva process and the mediation offered by the UN, as well as the Astana process, and stressed the complementarity between the two initiatives.
• Both India and Russia support prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS), would avert a grave danger for international peace and security.

Terrorism and Religious Extremism

• The anti-Taliban agenda is bound to become the main highlight of the Indo-Russian talks in Delhi, with both sides fearing the spread of terrorism and religious extremism in the region. What Mr. Ivanov may want to hear is how far India is prepared to go with Russia and Iran in aiding the opposition forces in Afghanistan.
•  Both Sides agrees to converge their efforts to eradicate terrorist networks, their sources of financing, arms and fighters' supply channels, to counter terrorist ideology, propaganda and recruitment. The Sides condemned all kinds of state support to terrorists including cross-border terrorism and providing safe havens to terrorists and their networks. Recognizing the importance of adopting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, pending in the United Nations, to become part of the international law, both Sides called upon the international community to make sincere efforts towards its early conclusion.

India and Russia in Energy Sector

• With synergies arising out of the fact that India is an energy-deficient country and Russia an energy-surplus one, energy is an increasingly important area for the future. India seeks more investments in Russia in the upstream oil and gas sector to ensure reliable long-term energy security, while Russia regards India as an important and growing market for Russian exports of oil and gas and wants a share in the downstream oil and gas business in India.
• India has invested about $2 billion in the oil production business under the Sakhalin-1 project and is currently evaluating opportunities for its involvement in the Sakhalin-3 project.
• India is seeking to increase its energy imports from Russia and the Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in various ways that include partnerships and investments in oilfields. However, India needs to be more focused in this area. A North-South international transport corridor, which is based on a combination of land and sea routes, is on the anvil and India needs collaboration with Iran and Russia in this regard.
• Russia is India’s standing partner in peaceful uses of nuclear energy and it recognizes India as a country with advanced nuclear technology with an impeccable non-proliferation record. Construction of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) Units 1 & 2 (VVER 1000 MW units) is an example of fruitful cooperation between India and Russia. KKNPP Unit 1 has become operational in July 2013, while Unit 2 is at an advanced stage of construction. Negotiations for the construction of two additional NPPs at Kudankulam (Units 3& 4) are at an advanced stage.
• Civil nuclear cooperation between India and Russia is an important component of strategic partnership contributing to India’s energy security and its commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 
• India – Russia conducted a joint study in 2017 on the gas pipeline supply routes from Russia and other countries to India, both Sides noted the ongoing consultations between the Indian and Russian ministries and companies to explore possibilities of constructing the gas pipeline to India and agreed to continue to consult each other on the possible conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two Ministries.
• India and Russia also decided to further explore possibilities of closer cooperation on hydel and renewable energy sources, and energy efficiency, including in order to reduce the negative effects of climate change.
• The recent $12.9-billion deal for the acquisition of Essar Oil refinery by Russia‘s Rosneft, is one of the single biggest foreign investments in India.
•  India‘s investments in Russia‘s oil and gas set is currently $8 billion and is set to reach $15 billion by 2020, as India is planning investments in Siberian Oil.

India and Russia in Technology and Space Projects

• India's first steel plant, Bhilai, was set up with Soviet assistance and today's globally competitive public sector companies like BHEL, ONGC and HAL were also set up with Soviet cooperation.
• Soviet researchers and experts were involved in the establishment of more than 30 R&D centres and laboratories in India, including the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, Indian R&D Institutes of Petroleum at Dehradun and Ahmedabad, autonomous faculties at educational establishments, and technical colleges of metallurgy in Ranchi,  petroleum in Baroda, heavy engineering in Bhopal, and radio-engineering at Hyderabad.
• The Working Group on Science and Technology functioning under IRIGCTEC, the Integrated Long Term Programme (ILTP) and the Basic Science Cooperation Programme are the three main institutional mechanisms for bilateral Science and Technology cooperation, while the Science Academies of the two countries promote inter-academy exchanges. ILTP which supports collaborative research in basic and applied sciences has resulted in the establishment of 9 thematic centers in India and Russia and the implementation of about 500 projects.
• In 2010, ILTP was extended for another 10 years with a renewed mandate “innovation-led technology programme”. India-Russia Science and Technology Centre with a branch each in Delhi-NCR and Moscow was set up in 2011-12 in order to promote the transfer of technologies developed jointly or independently by the scientists of the two countries.
• India and Russia collaborate in several high-technology space projects. Under the 2004 Inter-Governmental Agreement on “Cooperation in the area of exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes”, Russia and India cooperate in Moon Mission projects such as “Chandrayan- 2”. In April 2011, the jointly developed Indian - Russian Student Satellite “Youthsat” was successfully launched by India on a PSLV rocket.
• At the 2018 Bilateral talks both Sides noted the necessity to further intensify cooperation in the Science and Technology sector and welcomed the successful conduct of the 10th Indian-Russian Working Group on Science and Technology, which is jointly supervised by the Department of Science and Technology of India and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, in February 2018.
• Both sides also stressed the importance of the longstanding and mutually beneficial India-Russia cooperation in outer space and welcomed the activity of setting up measurement data collection ground stations of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System NavIC and the Russian Navigation Satellite System GLONASS in the territory of the Russian Federation and the Republic of India respectively.
• The Sides agreed to further intensify cooperation in the field of exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, including human spaceflight programmes, and scientific projects, as well as agreed to continue developing cooperation on the BRICS remote sensing satellite constellation.
• The Sides expressed interest in the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the Arctic, inter alia in the sphere of joint scientific research. The Sides noted with satisfaction the longstanding cooperation of Indian and Russian scientists in the Antarctic.

India and Russia Trade and Commerce

• There is a vast potential for an increase in bilateral trade volumes and investment, given the respective sizes of the Indian and Russian economies, as also the untapped economic complementarities. In 2009, both sides set the target of US $ 20 bn bilateral trade by 2015. Special efforts are being made in the fields of energy, pharmaceuticals, IT, steel, hydrocarbons, diamonds aerospace, fertilizers, and food products.
• Bilateral Trade has been growing steadily from US $ 7.5 bn (2009) to, US $ 11.04 bn (2012). India’s exports to Russia amounted to US $ 1.3 bn while imports from Russia amounted to US $2.6 bn. The two-way investment between the two countries stands at approximately US$ 7.8 billion.
• India - Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister of India and the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, is the main institutional mechanism supervising economic cooperation. It integrates six working groups on economic and trade cooperation, modernization and industrial cooperation, energy, tourism and culture, science and technology, and IT. The 18th IRIGC-TEC meeting was held in New Delhi on 15 October 2012. An inter-sessional meeting of IRIGC-TEC was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Mr. Salman Khurshid and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Dmitry Rogozin on 29 April 2013 in Moscow.
• On sidelines of BRICS summit in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that India was committed to deepening ties between the two countries and to exploring new areas of cooperation.
• Along with other global issues, they explored possibilities of supplying Russian gas to India through pipelines via China or Pakistan. RIR also cited sources saying Mr. Putin had “offered comprehensive measures” to raise bilateral trade to $20 billion.
• Russia appreciated the work done by "Invest India’’ to facilitate Russian investors in India and the planned launch of a "Single Window Service” by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation for facilitating the operation of Indian companies in Russia.

Recent  International political developments in Indo-Russia Relations

• India and Russia to continue productive interaction in order to enhance strategic partnership within the BRICS, defending priorities of building fair, just, and multipolar world order on the basis of strict observance of international law and the UN Charter.
• India Russia jointly declared their support to Afghan government’s efforts towards the realization of an Afghan-led, and Afghan-owned national peace reconciliation process.
• Concerned with the unabated violence and severely undermined security situation in Afghanistan and its adverse effect on the region, the Sides resolved to work through the Moscow Format, SCO Contact Group on Afghanistan, and all other recognized formats for an early resolution to the long-term conflict in Afghanistan, end to terrorist violence, external safe havens and sanctuaries for terrorists and the worsening drug problem in the country.
• India and Russia reaffirmed the commitment to a political resolution of the conflict in Syria, through an inclusive Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political process which safeguards the state sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria in pursuance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015).
• They reiterated their support for the Geneva process and the mediation offered by the UN, as well as the Astana process, and stressed the complementarity between the two initiatives.
• Both India and Russia supports the full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear programme in order to support international peace and security, to strengthen non-proliferation regime and to develop normal economic cooperation with Iran.
• The Indian Side welcomed the Russian Federation's early completion of destruction of its chemical weapons' stockpiles, which represents a significant contribution to achieving the goal of creating a world free from chemical weapons.

The China Factor

• Rise of China - Beijing is clearly rising as the sole dominant power centre in Asia and is also fast narrowing its gap with the US on the global stage.
•  This presents a serious challenge to India as increasing Chinese assertiveness in the Indian Ocean region has been ambitious and univocal.
•  While the US and Japan acknowledge the vitality of India for the geo-political stability of Asia, Russia hasn‘t shown the same warmth.
•  This could possibly be due to Moscow's apprehensions about India‘s membership in alliances like Quad (US, Australia, Japan, India).
•  Historic Factors - China‘s superior economic prowess gives it an advantage in negotiating with Russia, but there are historical distances between the two.
•  Russia has a long border with China, and the latter‘s meteoric rise is perceived as a threat to Russia‘s Siberian region and Vladivostok.
•  The former Soviet Union (Now Russia) had a rickety relationship with China and there were even significant border skirmishes in 1968-70s.
•  Nonetheless, Moscow will continue to play second fiddle to China whenever it suits its interests and India needs to show dexterity to handle situations.

Recent Developments

• Since the signing of the Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership in 2000, India-Russia ties have acquired a qualitatively new character with enhanced levels of cooperation in almost all areas of the bilateral relationship including political, security, defence, trade and economy, science and technology, and culture.
• Modi and Putin had an informal summit in Sochi in the Russian Federation in 2018.
• In 2019, Putin signed the executive order on awarding Mr. Modi Russia's highest state decoration - The Order of St. Andrew the Apostle.
• Today, Russia is the largest supplier of crude oil to India.
• The two countries intend to increase bilateral investment to $50 billion and bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2025.
• India-Russia military cooperation has evolved from a buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research, development, and production of advanced defence technologies and systems.
• Both countries regularly conduct INDRA - a tri-services exercise.
• The joint military between India and Russia include

1. BrahMos Cruise Missile programme
2. Sukhoi Su-30MKI programme
3. KA-226T twin-engine utility helicopter

• The military hardware purchased/leased from Russia include

1. S-400 Triumf
2. Kamov-Ka 226 to be made in India under the Make in India initiative
3. T-90S Bhishma
4. INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier programme

• Russia also plays a very important role in assisting the Indian navy with the submarine programmes:

1. Indian Navy's first submarine came from Russia.
2. Russia has an important contribution in India's nuclear submarine programme.
3. INS Vikramaditya, the sole aircraft carrier operated by India, is also of Russian origin.

• Russian contribution in India's nuclear energy programme:

1. Kudankulum Nuclear Power Plant is built in India with Russian collaboration.
2. Both India and Russia are implementing Rooppur Nuclear Power Project in Bangladesh.

• In space programme:

1. Both India and Russia cooperate in the peaceful use of outer space, including satellite launches, GLONASS Navigation System, remote sensing and other societal applications of outer space.
2. Russia's key role in India's Human Spaceflight Programme

Concerns of India and Russia

• Moscow has viewed the growing links between Pakistan and the Taliban Regime in Afghanistan and the role that Islamabad and Kandahar have played in arming, training and supporting fundamentalist Islamic groups in Central Asia and Chechnya with growing anxiety, anger and concern. It is no secret that Chechen terrorists have received active support and sustenance from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• The Russian Federation today faces a multitude of serious problems and challenges both political and economic. Moscow has been dependent on western funding and goodwill for the past decade. The country can no longer afford to undertake large-scale economic projects abroad on concessional terms. It has also not been able to assert its views on issues like the supply of cryogenic engines for India s space programme, the supply of weapons to Iran or the Anglo-American vendetta against Iraq and Yugoslavia. In these circumstances, Moscow has been forced to look for allies in the United Nations. Its growing relations military, political and economic with China, have to be seen in this context. But, Moscow shares New Delhi s views about the need for a multi-polar world order and has consistently supported India, in its bid for Permanent Membership of the U.N. Security Council.
• Moscow recognises that its main security challenges presently are internal. It has acknowledged that its present economic difficulties have led to terrorism, organised crime and narcotics posing a threat to the country s pluralistic society. It has spoken of a semi-crescent stretching from Kosovo through Turkey, the Trans Caucasus, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to the Xinjiang Uighur area in China. Putin believes that there are Chechnyas lurking everywhere and that the entire Central Asian Region will be destabilised if the Taliban reach the Tajikistan border. He is realistic enough to recognise that Moscow cannot confront NATO or the West and has therefore sought a policy of engagement. The Russians are, however, only too aware that their internal weaknesses have resulted in western inroads into their traditional spheres of influence like the Baltic Republics, Eastern Europe and even Central Asia. While its political isolation and economic vulnerability have led to Moscow seeking a wide-ranging partnership with Beijing, there is perhaps a realisation dawning that China has its own great power ambitions. New Delhi should frankly share its concerns on this score with Putin, especially given the unrestrained Chinese propensity to transfer nuclear, missile and conventional hardware to Pakistan.
• Russia has been and will remain a crucial and indeed predominant partner in India s defence preparedness. A long-term agreement on military-technical cooperation that is valid till 2010 was signed when Prime Minister Primakov visited India in December 1998. The Kargil experience has shown that it is essential for us to rapidly modernize and augment the firepower of our armed forces.
• While the Indo-Russian joint Commission has sought to promote economic cooperation in areas ranging from power, coal and the oil industry to culture and the environment, Moscow hopefully understands that in a globalised world economic order, Indian companies will be looking for goods and services that are internationally competitive. Likewise, we will have to take measures to develop a more competitive edge for our exports, if we are to compete with countries like China for a share of the Russian market. With annual bilateral trade reaching barely $1.25 billion, the scope for expansion is immense. Further, there is a need to explore the possibilities of expanding cooperation in areas of dual-use technologies, especially in light of wide-ranging American restrictions on the transfer of dual-use technologies to India. As the Russian economy picks up strength, Vladimir Putin will be less prone to yield to external pressures.
• Russia and India are today facing direct challenges to their pluralistic societies from forces driven by extreme interpretations of medieval religious concepts. Russian support for our position on Kashmir has to be viewed from this perspective. Given the shared concern of Moscow and New Delhi about the policies of the Taliban, there is little doubt that the Putin visit will produce wide-ranging measures to deal with the menace posed by religious extremism.
• The Russians have been consistent champions of the NPT. While differences on nuclear issues with Moscow will persist, it needs to be remembered that the Russians have always acted with restraint on issues pertaining to our nuclear programme, especially after the May 1998 nuclear tests. New Delhi shares Moscow s concerns about the national missile defence system that the Americans are proposing to develop and deploy. India and Russia have been discussing the text of a strategic partnership pact for the past few years. This pact will be signed by the Russian President, during his visit. But India and Russia share common interests in safeguarding their territorial integrity and pluralistic societies against the forces of religious extremism and in promoting the democratisation of the world order. Russia also desires India’s support against the NMD programme of the USA.
• Quite obviously, in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse, India, like some other South Asian countries, became peripheral to Russian political and strategic thinking. The new Russia, fresh out of the Soviet mindset, clearly did not feel the need to maintain its special relationship with India as a strategic ally to counter the West and China since it was seeking closer cooperation with the latter.