Russian President Vladimir Putin visited New Delhi, India’s capital, as part of the 21st Russia-India Summit. Putin was greeted with an official ceremony at the Hyderabad Palace before meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Putin and Indian Prime Minister Modi had a three-and-a-half-hour one-on-one meeting. According to press releases issued following the meeting, Russia and India signed a 28-item commercial and cooperation agreement covering areas such as arms, steel, shipbuilding, coal, and energy.
The General Manager of Kalashnikov, Vladimir Lepin, announced that a contract was signed between Russia and India for 600,000 AK-203 infantry rifles to be used by the Indian army. The weapons will be manufactured in India by the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Company, which was established jointly by both countries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the United States put pressure on India, which received S-400 air defense systems from Russia. “Our friend India is a sovereign state that decides where to buy weapons,” Lavrov added.