India and Russia concluded another round of talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin in Delhi on 11 September without announcing any major new initiative or agreement. The leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation and discussed regional and global issues, including conflicts in the Middle East and the Black Sea region, but the official Indian readout contained no details of specific deals.
The meeting lasted about 45 minutes and took place a day before the Brics summit. It was the second meeting between Modi and Putin in 12 days, following their talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek on 31 August. That meeting also ended without a major announcement.
Ahead of the Delhi talks, Indian media had widely reported expectations of progress on defence, energy and technology. Potential discussions included the purchase and possible production of Russia’s Su-57 fighter jets in India, the S-500 missile defence system, S-400 deliveries and upgrades to BrahMos missiles. Civil nuclear cooperation and new nuclear power plants were also reported as possible topics.
The official Indian statement, however, said only that the leaders reviewed cooperation in political, economic, defence, energy, space, skills and people-to-people sectors. They also exchanged views on multilateral issues and reiterated support for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts. No specific project, contract or defence agreement was mentioned.
The absence of major announcements was not entirely unexpected. ThePrint reported before the meeting that no major formal defence agreement was expected. Negotiations over complex military systems such as the Su-57 and S-500 can take time. Discussions on the expansion of India’s S-400 system also remain ongoing.
Russia had previously confirmed that the Su-57 was on the agenda. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said India was seeking production technology for the aircraft and that the issue required further discussion. Separately, Russian state-owned United Aircraft Corporation was reported to have agreed in principle to sell 105 Il-114 turboprop aircraft to three Indian airlines.
After the talks, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Ukraine was among the issues discussed. Russian commentary also focused on broader global issues and India’s position on the Ukraine conflict. On 17 September, Putin described his talks with Modi as “highly substantive, frank and productive” in a birthday message to the Indian prime minister.
The two leaders are expected to meet again later in the year at the annual India-Russia summit in Russia. The next meeting could provide another opportunity to advance the defence, energy and technology issues that were discussed but not accompanied by major announcements in Delhi.
