Russia will continue to strengthen its partnership with India despite geopolitical challenges, President Vladimir Putin said, according to media reports.
Speaking to reporters in St Petersburg, Putin said India’s growing engagement with Western countries does not undermine its longstanding relationship with Russia. He also criticised attempts to pressure New Delhi over its cooperation with Moscow, saying such efforts were harmful to international relations.
According to media reports, Putin said Russia had not witnessed any serious negative consequences from India’s ties with Moscow and remained confident that bilateral cooperation would continue to expand.
He described India as a reliable partner and noted that trade between the two countries reached USD 68.7 billion in 2025. Putin expressed confidence that bilateral trade could rise to USD 100 billion in the coming years, media reports said.
His remarks come amid continued international scrutiny of India’s purchases of Russian crude oil. Putin said Russia and India would continue to deepen economic cooperation despite global uncertainties.
On regional issues, Putin said Russia recognised the complexities of relations between India, Pakistan and China but had no intention of interfering in matters involving its partners. He also said India-China relations were “delicate and multi-faceted” and expressed confidence that border issues could be resolved through peaceful dialogue.
According to media reports, Putin reiterated that Russia maintains strong ties with both India and China and sees no contradiction in its relationships with the two countries.
