Modi Tells Putin Russia-India Ties to Further Develop, Benefitting the Whole World

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan's city of Samarkand that Russia-India relationship will further improve to the advantage of the whole world.

The Indian leader also called for finding solutions to issues of food and fuel security during his bilateral talks with Putin.

Russia is doing everything to end the Ukraine crisis as soon as possible, but Kiev refuses negotiations, Putin told Modi, adding that the Ukrainian government is intent on reaching its goals by means of war.

Meanwhile, Russia-India trade volume is increasing, in particular, fertilizer supplies have increased by more than 8 times, Putin said.

The Russian leader has also invited the Indian prime minister to visit Russia.

"I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit Russia," Putin said, adding that the countries should intensify the process of visa-free travel.

Days before the meeting with Putin, PM Modi described Russia as a critical energy partner and vowed to explore the "huge potential in this area that remains untapped."

Russia's ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, said earlier this week that the two countries are "very motivated" to ensure that the defense cooperation between the two strategic partners is "uninterrupted" by the Ukraine crisis: "We managed to successfully mitigate barriers created by negative external factors and adjust to new realities using alternative payments and logistics options."

India has maintained its stance of neutrality on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and has continued active trade and military cooperation with Russia, despite Western criticism, saying that regular oil supplies ensure India's national interests. Delhi has even boosted bilateral ties with Moscow by identifying new growth drivers such as energy, fertilizer, textiles, and machinery for a long-term sustainable economic cooperation.

What's more, Delhi's crude oil imports from Moscow have jumped 50-fold since April 2022: in July, Russia became India's second-biggest oil supplier after Iraq, surpassing Saudi Arabia in the April-June quarter. India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has defended oil purchases, saying that the largest democracy in the world had ensured that its citizens are not burdened with high prices of petroleum products.

Overall, the trade turnover reached $11.5 billion in the first half of 2022, up almost 120% year on year. Meanwhile, the annual bilateral trade is expected to cross $20 billion in the current financial year ending March 2023, with the resumption of a new rupee-ruble arrangement by the end of September.

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Russia has become a crucial partner in fulfilling India's fertilizer needs after global supply chains were disrupted due to the pandemic and Ukraine crisis, as PM Modi vowed to ensure an uninterrupted fertilizer supply for the half of the 1.4 billion population that depends on agriculture.

Indian Commerce Ministry data suggests that New Delhi imported fertilizer worth $1.03 billion in April-July this year, in comparison to $773.54 million in the financial year 2021.

New Delhi has also welcomed Russia for continuing military supplies, including S-400 air defense missile systems, as Delhi has been engaged in a border stand-off with China in eastern Ladakh. Russia is India's biggest defense partner, accounting for 70-80% percent of total military hardware in the Indian Armed Forces.

Earlier in the day, speaking at the SCO Summit, Modi highlighted the constructive role the organization could play in the post-coronavirus era, particularly in fostering economic recovery and strengthening regional supply chains.

Modi called for developing "reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains" in the region, and urged all member states to provide full transit rights to each other in order to improve the region's connectivity.

Modi also mentioned the recent inauguration of the WHO's first and only Global Center for Traditional Medicine and advocated for increasing cooperation on traditional medicine among SCO countries. "For this, India will take the initiative on a new SCO Working Group on Traditional Medicine," Modi said.