Russian President Vladimir Putin at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg Worldwide Financial Discussion board in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 5, 2026
| Photograph Credit score: AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin has mentioned that any try and undermine India’s sovereignty by “threats of sanctions” would “boomerang instantly” underneath Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s management.
Mr. Putin made these remarks on the annual St Petersburg Worldwide Financial Discussion board on Friday (June 5, 2026) in response to a query about his feedback throughout an interplay with heads of main world information companies, together with PTI, on Thursday (June 4, 2026) night time.
“India all the time acts as a sovereign nation, and underneath the management of Prime Minister Modi, any potential threats of sanctions would boomerang instantly,” Mr. Putin mentioned.
Mr. Putin mentioned that he has been in shut talks with Prime Minister Modi for a protracted interval, whereas recalling the time when the Indian chief was banned from coming into the US.
“I do know PM Modi will always remember about it,” Mr. Putin mentioned. “Now that he’s (the) Prime Minister, all of the sanctions have been eradicated, and the connection between the U.S. and India is growing efficiently so far as I perceive.”
Requested about the potential for India dealing with U.S. sanctions if it have been to amass Russian defence methods such because the Su-57 plane or the S-500 air defence platform, Mr. Putin mentioned, “India is a sovereign nation, and it’s free to decide on these merchandise that they think about to be freshest and most relevant for them and clearly providing the most effective worth. It doesn’t matter what individuals say, India has all the time been performing on this method.”
“India is all the time guided by its nationwide pursuits,” he added.
Mr. Putin mentioned that Russia’s cooperation with India, similar to with all different companions, is just not topic to the political surroundings.
“We are able to’t be dictated… No person can dictate to us, and no person would even attempt to do this. We’re all the time going to do what we think about to be proper, and we are going to all the time stand true to the commitments given to companions, particularly companions like India,” he mentioned.
Highlighting Russia’s long-standing relationship with India, particularly within the space of defence, Mr. Putin mentioned, “Our relationships with the Indian pals are particular, because of our mutual belief. We focus not simply on commerce. Not simply on shopping for and promoting, we’re additionally concentrating on joint analysis and growth.” Mr. Putin highlighted how specialists from each nations are engaged on the design of the mid-range missile BrahMos.
On the fifth-generation stealth plane Sukhoi Su-57, Mr. Putin mentioned Russia had earlier proposed a joint growth programme with India, however later pursued the undertaking independently after the plan didn’t materialise.
“Su-57 is an excellent plane, most likely probably the most fashionable one, probably the most up-to-date on the planet as of now,” Mr. Putin mentioned. “We provided that we should always try this collectively. Effectively, it did not work out, however we did it on our personal, and we stand able to promote Su-57.”
For many years, Russia has served as India’s major defence provider. Nevertheless, persistent provide chain disruptions and supply delays stemming from the battle in Ukraine have compelled New Delhi to aggressively diversify its army procurement technique.
After a years-long seek for a fifth-generation fighter jet, India has launched its bold Superior Multirole Fight Plane (AMCA) undertaking, broadly considered the nation’s largest indigenous aerospace programme.
Because the plane underneath the AMCA undertaking is unlikely to hitch the Indian Air Pressure (IAF) earlier than 2035, the federal government is contemplating the procurement of at the very least two squadrons (round 36) of Su-57s, supplied they fulfil the technical specs.
Printed – June 06, 2026 03:34 pm IST