Why Did India’s Defence Giants Meet In Russia – Is A Big Weapons Deal On The Card? | World News
New Delhi: What has sparked speculation is that senior executives of India’s leading defense manufacturers, including Adani Defense and Bharat Forge, held meetings in Russia recently. The visits come as New Delhi is re-evaluating how it procures and produces military equipment, increasingly focusing on joint production rather than direct imports.
The visit was notable because it took place at a time when Russia was still at war with Ukraine. Indian defense business leaders are traveling to the country for the first time since the war began in 2022.
Three people familiar with the discussions confirmed that the meetings did indeed take place, Reuters reported. For decades, India has relied heavily on Russian military hardware.
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The report stated that New Delhi now wants to gradually renew this relationship. Rather than simply purchasing equipment, India is exploring ways to jointly produce weapons with Moscow so that India’s long-term military needs can be met through local production.
However, Adani Defense and Bharat Forge told Reuters that information linking them to these meetings was false.
Can Western Countries Withdraw?
The possibility of India and Russia jointly producing new defense systems has raised concerns in Western capitals. India is among the world’s largest arms buyers and has made clear that it wants to become a major defense producer in the coming years.
Western governments worry that if India continues to strengthen cooperation with Moscow, they may become reluctant to share technology.
Western officials have noted India’s dependence on Russian equipment. Currently, approximately 36 percent of the weapons used by the Indian army are of Russian origin.
For them, this is a major obstacle when it comes to advanced technology transfer.
When Did These Meetings Take Place?
The talks in Moscow took place on 29 and 30 October. The meeting took place just before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi. The Indian side was led by defense production secretary Sanjiv Kumar, who headed a delegation focused on defense-industry partnership.
This visit also formed the basis for Putin’s visit to New Delhi on December 4-5. Executives of the Indian Defense Industrialists Association (SIDM) were also present during the visit.
SIDM represents more than 500 companies, including Tata Sons and Bharat Electronics.
Who Was in the Room?
Sources said the delegation included representatives from private companies, public sector firms and several Indian startups working on unmanned aerial vehicles, AI-enabled defense systems and other emerging technologies.
An executive from Bharat Forge, part of the Kalyani Group, participated in the talks, which discussed the possibility of jointly producing parts for Russian tanks and aircraft and even exploring opportunities for collaboration on future helicopter programs.
Media reports also claim that spokespeople for Adani Group and Bharat Forge denied that their executives had traveled to Moscow. The defense ministry and other companies involved had no comment.
Russia is India’s most important arms supplier. About 36% of India’s military inventory still comes from Russian platforms.
During Putin’s visit, both sides agreed to enhance the partnership for joint research and development of advanced defense systems and accelerate joint production efforts in India.
The idea is to help India become increasingly self-reliant in defense production.
Behind the scenes, talks in Moscow suggest both sides may be preparing for a new phase in the partnership. It goes beyond buyer-seller transactions and brings Indian companies into deeper industrial collaborations with Russia.
