- Putin’s visit spotlights enduring India-Russia strategic defense partnership.
- Russia offers Su-57 fighters with significant technology transfer possibility.
- BrahMos missile success boosts India’s regional security influence.
- Oil supplies from Russia solidify India’s energy security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit has brought India-Russia ties back into sharp focus, with Moscow’s offer of the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter emerging as one of the key defence questions before the two sides. Few strategic partnerships have endured as many geopolitical shifts as the relationship between India and Russia. Governments have changed, the Soviet Union has vanished, and both countries have developed closer ties with other major powers. Yet New Delhi and Moscow continue to see strategic value in maintaining strong ties. With Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi for the BRICS summit, the next major test of that relationship could be the proposed Russian Su-57 fighter jet deal.
Su-57 Deal
Russia is offering India its fifth-generation Su-57 fighter along with technology transfer and the possibility of production in India. While no agreement has been confirmed, the proposal could become a significant component of the two countries’ defence relationship.
For New Delhi, however, the value of such a deal would extend beyond acquiring an advanced combat aircraft. The extent of technology transfer, the capabilities Indian industry can develop and the degree of freedom India retains to maintain, modify and upgrade the aircraft would be crucial considerations.
Operation Sindoor has underscored the importance of such capabilities. India’s air chief described Russia’s S-400 air defence system as a “game-changer”, pointing to its long-range capabilities and its role in constraining Pakistani air operations.
BrahMos Expands
The India-Russia defence relationship has also produced the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, jointly developed by the two countries.
The missile has been reported to have repeatedly penetrated Pakistani air defences, challenging an important assumption in Pakistan’s military planning that strategically significant installations could remain shielded from Indian retaliation.
BrahMos is now gaining significance beyond India’s immediate neighbourhood.
The Philippines has received BrahMos missiles, while Vietnam has signed a purchase agreement and Indonesia has joined the list of buyers. For several Southeast Asian countries facing growing Chinese pressure at sea, acquiring such systems offers additional means to protect their maritime interests.
The emergence of what can be described as a “BrahMos belt” reflects this broader regional shift.
These countries do not operate under a common military command, and their arsenals remain separate. However, the wider deployment of BrahMos could increase the military cost of coercion for Beijing while giving India a greater role in regional security.
Oil Adds Weight
Energy remains another important pillar of the India-Russia relationship.
Russian ambassador Denis Alipov recently said Moscow was prepared to supply as much oil as India needs. For New Delhi, Russian supplies offer the prospect of dependable access on favourable terms, although actual purchases will continue to depend on availability, prices and commercial considerations.
For Moscow, India’s importance is equally significant. Indian demand provides Russia with oil revenues, defence orders and access to a major market outside China.
Maintaining strong ties with New Delhi also gives Moscow greater room for manoeuvre at a time when its economic and strategic dependence on Beijing has increased.
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Partnership Evolves
The mutual benefits help explain why the India-Russia partnership has survived repeated geopolitical changes.
The trust established around the 1971 Indo-Soviet treaty has endured long after the circumstances that produced that agreement disappeared. The relationship today is less about old ideological alignments and more about preserving strategic autonomy and freedom of action in an increasingly polarised international system.
The word “Unbreakable” remains a powerful description of the partnership, but its endurance depends on both countries continually renewing its relevance.
Putin’s visit, therefore, could prove significant not simply because of the symbolism surrounding another India-Russia summit. Its real impact will be measured by what follows the handshake, particularly whether the proposed defence cooperation can strengthen India’s domestic industrial capabilities while creating a more balanced and mutually beneficial partnership between New Delhi and Moscow.
