India Stops Purchasing Russian Weapons

India aims to move away from Russian arms and is reorienting towards the West, as reported by Reuters. The information was conveyed by gazeta.ru.

"We are unlikely to sign any major military deals with Russia. That would be a red line for Washington," stated Nandan Unikrishnan, an expert on Russian affairs at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which the agency cites, Russia has provided 65% of India's arms supplies over the past 20 years. Moscow has offered New Delhi supplies of modern helicopters and fighter jets, but India is not inclined to accept these offers and tends to buy weapons from Washington, Reuters reports.

It is noted that India seeks to proceed cautiously to avoid provoking further rapprochement between Russia and China.

The foreign and defense ministries of India and Russia have not responded to the agency's inquiries. Meanwhile, India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, announced that bilateral trade between India and Russia could exceed the high levels of 2023 in 2024. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $50 billion following last year's results.