Putin says US pressure on Modi to cut ties with Russia ‘harmful’ as $100bn trade target looms | Today’s news
Vladimir Putin has publicly defended the durability of Russia’s partnership with India, predicting bilateral trade between the two nations will reach $100 billion in the coming years, and dismissing US pressure on Delhi to scale back its engagement with Moscow as both ineffective and harmful to the international order. The Russian President said this on Thursday during an interaction with the heads of the world’s leading news agencies including PTI.
Putin says US pressure on India will return
Addressing Western efforts to push India to distance itself from Russia, Putin said unequivocally that such tactics have not yielded any meaningful results.
“The US is trying to put pressure on India to cooperate with Russia on some routes. But everyone understood that putting pressure on Narendra Modi (and India), which has the largest population in the world, is harmful to international relations and to bilateral relations,” Putin said.
He added that the direction of the pressure is immaterial. “It doesn’t matter where that pressure comes from. We don’t see any negative consequences.”
“The state of affairs has no serious consequences. We are developing our relations with India and will continue to do so,” he said.
Russia plans $100 billion trade milestone with India
Putin expressed confidence in India’s economic trajectory, linking it directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“India is among the world’s largest economies and is currently showing an impressive rate of economic growth,” he said, adding that bilateral trade was on track to cross the $100 billion mark.
Responding to a question from PTI CEO and Editor-in-Chief Vijay Joshi, Putin elaborated: “India is one of the leading economies in the world, which has shown the highest rate of economic growth. It is not something that comes out of the blue. It is the result of the hard work done by the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
India’s ties with Washington pose no structural threat to Russia, Putin says
Putin suggested that India’s deepening ties with the United States did not unsettle Russia, describing New Delhi’s independent foreign policy as a feature rather than a complication.
“We are happy that India is developing its relations with all the countries it considers important for its national interests,” he said when asked if India’s connection with Washington was creating friction for Moscow.
Russia considers India a “reliable partner” and sees no negative consequences from New Delhi’s bilateral engagements with other nations, Putin said, adding: “India is a great nation and democracy, and Russia will continue to expand its relations with it.”
Putin rejects the EU as a mediator for Ukraine, questions Zelensky’s legitimacy
On Ukraine, Putin reiterated his willingness to seek a solution, but placed the burden of compromise on Kiev rather than Moscow. He dismissed European Union nations as viable mediators and argued that Brussels could contribute to de-escalation by persuading Ukraine to negotiate rather than continue arming it.
Putin questioned the political position of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose presidential mandate he said had expired. “Will they hold elections or not? We should ask ourselves these questions,” he said.
On the question of trust, Putin was suggested: “How can Russia trust people who have been talking for years about the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia?”
Putin distinguished between the two active conflicts, calling Ukraine a “local” problem and the situation in Iran a matter of global consequence. He said Russia was ready to support measures that would accelerate de-escalation in West Asia.
