The Russian president said he did not see any negative impact on relations with India from Washington’s coercive attempts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that US attempts to pressure India about its relationship with Moscow are “useless.”
“The United States is trying to pressure India on some issues, especially on some issues of cooperation with Russia,” Putin said. “Pressuring Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, who leads a country of 1.5 billion people, is futile.”
The Russian president said this Thursday during a question and answer session with the heads of international news organizations, including the Indian PTI, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Putin said that coercion harms international and inter-state relations. “it doesn’t matter which side this pressure comes from.” He added, however, that there is no negative negative impact on India’s relations with Russia.
“So far, we have not seen any negative effects. Russia and India continue to strengthen their cooperation, and we consider India as a reliable partner.”
ICYMI: Putin Says ‘The West Is Trying To Put Pressure On India – For Example When It Comes To Cooperation With Russia’
“Everyone understands that putting pressure on Prime Minister Modi is dangerous for international and inter-country relations…India is a very reliable partner,” he added. pic.twitter.com/OAfmqOP8O2
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) June 5, 2026
Putin also praised the Indian prime minister, saying, “India is currently showing the highest levels of economic growth among the major economies in the world. This is not out of thin air; it is the result of consistent and deliberate efforts, above all by the government led by… Modi.”
New Delhi’s relationship with Washington does not affect Russia’s relationship with India, he said, praising the country’s independent foreign policy. “We are happy that India is developing relations with all countries. India is a major global power with a population of 1.5 billion people, a rapidly growing economy, and one of the largest democracies in the world. It is quite natural for India to develop relations with various countries in accordance with its national interests.”
Washington pressured India over its purchases of Russian oil, imposing a 50% tariff on its exports to America, half of which was a punitive tariff on oil purchases from Russia.
Putin noted that Russia has provided Su-57, a modern fifth-generation fighter jet, to India as a joint project. “We are ready to provide this aircraft to India, to continue developing it. We do not have any issues or restrictions. The same goes for the air defense systems.”
Putin expressed confidence in achieving the bilateral trade goal of 100 billion dollars set for 2030. “Currently, the turnover of the business amounts to about 58 to 60 billion dollars. However, all the necessary conditions have been put in place to increase our joint efforts and achieve even greater goals.”
