EIRNS, June 4, 2026: Vijay Joshi, the CEO and Editor-in-chief of the Press Trust of India (PTI), recently attended the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia. On the sidelines of the event, he asked Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin: “Mr President, as you are preparing to travel to India for the BRICS Summit in September (2026), the global community is watching the evolving dynamics between Moscow and New Delhi very closely. While this special and privileged strategic partnership remains the cornerstone for both nations, some observers say that India’s alignment with Washington DC creates structural friction with Russia… What steps can be taken to ensure that Russia-India ties remain resilient against external geopolitical pressures? And how would you describe Russia-India relations in this redrawn geopolitical landscape in your words?”

Putin replied: “You have described these relations yourself, and you characterised them accurately. As you noted, this is a special and privileged strategic partnership. Such a relationship was not built overnight, or over the course of a few years. It is the result of decades of cooperation. The Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with India in 1947 and consistently supported the development of the young state. We are happy to see that, thanks to the tireless work, talent and determination of the Indian people, India has achieved remarkable success and made tremendous progress in its development.”

The Russian strongman continued: “Everyone present here knows that India is currently demonstrating the highest economic growth rates among the world’s major economies. This doesn’t fall out of the sky; it is the result of consistent and purposeful efforts, above all by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The country’s strong economic performance reflects the successful implementation of the policies and development strategies pursued under his leadership.”

Putin added that there was still “a lot of work to do together”, including expanding bilateral trade from around USD 60 billion to USD 100 billion. He cited the cooperation in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, which “is already operating and continues to expand”, with decisions on more such nuclear energy facilities. “We will also continue to deepen cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector. Russia remains one of the largest foreign investors in the Indian economy, and we intend to further strengthen investment cooperation on a reciprocal basis,” he stressed. Putin further said that the “close cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry has a number of highly promising, long-term initiatives that are of mutual interest to both India and Russia”.

Then, the Russian leader got into the meat of the issue, stating: “However, I find your question somewhat surprising. You suggested that India’s cooperation with the US is creating difficulties in its relations with Russia. We do not see it that way at all… We are glad that India is developing relations with all countries. India is a major global power with a population of 1.5 billion people, a rapidly growing economy and one of the world’s largest democracies. It is entirely natural for India to develop relations with a wide range of countries in accordance with its national interests.”

President Putin further said: “It is another thing that the US is trying to pressure India on certain issues, particularly on certain issues of cooperation with Russia. But I think everyone has long since realised that pressuring Prime Minister Modi, who leads a country with a population of 1.5 billion, is futile… We do not see any negative consequences arising from the current situation. We believe that mutually acceptable solutions can be found with all parties involved… Russia and India continue to strengthen their partnership, and we regard India as a reliable partner.”

Boundless Ocean of Politics received this article from Executive Intelligence Review (EIR) on June 5, 2026.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das