Sanctions threats would boomerang under PM Modi's leadership: Putin backs India's autonomy

Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly backed India's economic autonomy on Friday, asserting that the country consistently acts as a "sovereign country." He stated that any attempts to threaten India with sanctions would "boomerang" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

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India always acts as a sovereign country and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, any potential threats of sanctions would boomerang immediately. We have been in close talks with Prime Minister Modi for a long while.

Putin praised the robust defense and technology cooperation between India and Russia. He pointed to the ongoing collaboration between experts from both nations on the mid-range BrahMos missile. "India always acts as a sovereign country and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, any potential threats of sanctions would boomerang immediately. We have been in close talks with Prime Minister Modi for a long while," Putin remarked during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

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India is free to choose the products that they consider to be most up to date, most applicable for them and obviously offering the best price-quality ratio.

He further elaborated that India is "always guided by its national interests" and possesses the freedom to choose what best suits its objectives. "India is free to choose the products that they consider to be most up to date, most applicable for them and obviously offering the best price-quality ratio," Putin added. He also acknowledged the successful development of India-US relations and noted that previous sanctions against India related to oil purchases from Russia had been eliminated.

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India and we have a very good, long-standing relationship in terms of military and technical cooperation interaction. A significant portion of the armed forces of India is equipped with Russian equipment. This is a tradition that dates back to the Soviet times.

Regarding defense ties, Putin stated, "India and we have a very good, long-standing relationship in terms of military and technical cooperation interaction. A significant portion of the armed forces of India is equipped with Russian equipment. This is a tradition that dates back to the Soviet times." He underscored that Russia-India relations are characterized by mutual trust, focusing not only on trade but also on joint research and development, exemplified by the BrahMos missile project. Putin assured that Russia's ties with India are not dictated by the political environment, and the country will uphold its commitments to partners like India.

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Our relations with the Indian friends are specific, thanks to our mutual trust. We concentrate not just on trade, buying and selling, but also on joint research and development. Indian and Russian experts have been working on the design of the mid-range missile BrahMos.