In a telephonic conversation on Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the COVID-19 situation in India and agreed to establish a “2+2 ministerial dialogue” between their foreign and defence ministers to further strengthen their bilateral relationship.
The decision to establish a mechanism for such high-level contact between the two sides comes amid a small hiccup in their relations following Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to New Delhi earlier this month. The top diplomat visited both India and Pakistan during his trip, and his comments about Moscow being ready to supply special military equipment to Islamabad made New Delhi uncomfortable, since it has consistently opposed Moscow’s efforts to ship military hardware to its arch-rival. However, Russian officials have since clarified their position, arguing that Russia’s ties with both countries are independent of each other.
Had an excellent conversation with my friend President Putin today. We discussed the evolving COVID-19 situation, and I thanked President Putin for Russia's help and support in India's fight against the pandemic. @KremlinRussia_E
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 28, 2021
According to a readout of the call released by the Kremlin, Putin reiterated his support to India as it battles the raging spread of the coronavirus, and informed Modi of his decision to send humanitarian aid to the country. The premier said that the Russian Emergencies Ministry would deliver “over 22 tonnes of necessary equipment, such as 20 oxygen production units, 75 lung ventilators, 150 medical monitors and 200,000 packs of medicine.”
Modi thanked Putin for the assistance provided and welcomed the registration of the Sputnik V vaccine in India, noting its high efficacy and safety. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has already reached an agreement with five Indian companies to produce 850 million doses of Sputnik V, the production for which is scheduled to begin in May. The first batch of the jabs will reportedly be delivered to India on May 1.
Apart from COVID-19, the leaders also noted the importance of furthering cooperation in other sectors, including space exploration and renewable energy. To this end, the Indian prime minister expressed his appreciation for Russia’s support for India’s Gaganyaan Program and the completion of the Russian phase of training of the four Gaganyaan astronauts. Modi also said that he looked forward to Putin’s visit to India later this year for their bilateral summit, which he said would “provide an occasion to continue their personal and trusted conversation.” The Russian president in turn assured India of his full support of the success of its BRICS presidency during 2021. The leaders further agreed to remain in contact on bilateral and international issues.