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- By Abhirupa Kundu
- Wed, 31 Jan 2024 10:37 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Russia has dismissed a report which claimed that India wants to distance itself from Moscow in the area of defence cooperation, a key domain of collaboration between the two nations with a history spanning several decades.
The response of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko came after Reuters reported that New Delhi is seeking to withdraw itself from its largest arms and ammunition supplier after Moscow's ability to supply weaponry and spares was hampered by the ongoing Ukraine war.
The report cited Indian sources and said that the country must step carefully to avoid pushing Moscow closer to China.
"We have no such information. This is all on Reuters' conscience. Our Indian partners, as before, are interested in cooperation, including in this area," Russian news agency TASS reported quoting the the diplomat.
Russia supplied 65 per cent of India's weapons purchases of more than USD 60 billion during the last two decades, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Russia and India also jointly made the BrahMos cruise missile and plan to produce AK-203 rifles in India.
In a hiccup in the supply of weapons, Russia took over a year to deliver parts of an air defence system India bought in 2018 for USD 5.5 billion, two Indian military officials said, reported Reuters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent times has stressed domestic production and manufacturing indigenously under the Centre's "Make in India" initiative. The country expects to spend nearly USD 100 billion on defence orders over the next decade.