Indian, Russian Defence Ministers to meet today

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov will on Thursday review the full spectrum of bilateral defence ties, including military and military-technical cooperation.

They will co-chair the 22nd India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation in New Delhi. The two ministers will also exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of Defence said.

Both sides are expected to be accompanied by senior military officials. Russia is offering its latest fifth-generation fighter jet, the Sukhoi-57, to India. New Delhi, meanwhile, is pressing Moscow to expedite pending deliveries of the S-400 air defence system and to finalise a plan for upgrading the Indian Air Force’s fleet of 270 Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets.

The lower house of the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, has ratified a military pact that will allow the militaries of both countries to seamlessly exchange logistics such as fuel, spares and access to maintenance facilities, air bases and naval ports. The agreement is known as the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS).

During his visit, the Russian Defence Minister will also lay a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi to honour Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.