Could India cut its defence ties with Russia?
India's long-standing ties to Russia have come under the spotlight - especially in the defence sector - following the invasion of Ukraine.
(BBC) India's long-standing ties to Russia have come under the spotlight - especially in the defence sector - following the invasion of Ukraine.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said during a visit to the US in April that India would like to be a "good friend" to Western countries.
But she added that India didn't want to be weakened, and needed to ensure its security - taken to mean its long-standing reliance on Russian military equipment - would continue. India is one of the world's largest buyers of weapons, and had a close defence relationship with the former Soviet Union for many years.
India's rivalry with Pakistan, and increasingly with China, means Russia has remained a key partner for Delhi, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s Since 1992, about two-thirds of Indian military equipment has come from Russia, according to Sipri (the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), which tracks global arms transfers and military expenditure. The Stimson Center, a US-based research group, estimates that Russian weaponry could account for as much as 85% of major Indian weapons systems.
This includes fighter jets, nuclear-powered submarines, aircraft carriers, tanks and missiles. In the last decade, its reliance on Russian weapons has reduced and it has bought more equipment from other countries - noticeably from France, but also from Israel and the US and, to a lesser extent, the UK. Figures from Sipri show that the value of arms sales by France, the US and Israel to India in 2021 were double what they were in 2017, although Russia remains a major supplier.
India has bought Rafale jets, Mirage combat aircraft and Scorpene submarines from France. During a recent visit there by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both countries said they had agreed to deepen their co-operation in advanced defence technology.
Similarly, during a trip to Delhi in April by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the UK and India pledged to deepen defence and security ties, highlighting joint collaboration in advanced jet fighter technology And India's military ties with the US have been growing strongly, with defence trade between them rising considerably from 2018 to 2019.
Major purchases include US long-range maritime patrol aircraft and C-130 transport aircraft, as well as missiles and drones, and a recent Pentagon statement spoke of "deepening co-operation" in space defence and cyber-security.