In a global exclusive from the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to India Today’s Geeta Mohan and Anjana Om Kashyap ahead of his India visit. Putin asserts India’s status as a 'great power, not an English-British colony' that commands respect, praising PM Modi’s refusal to succumb to Western pressure on oil and defence. The report also breaks news of a meeting between Putin, US Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff, and Jared Kushner regarding the Ukraine war.
00:00And joining us now from Moscow is India Today's Geeta Mohan, the journalist who's bringing you this interview along with Anjana Om Kashyap.
00:09Geeta, you know this man, President Vladimir Putin, an intriguing man, a tall leader.
00:16How was the experience of interviewing such a person like Putin?
00:21It's one of the rarest moments in a journalist's career when you get to interview a world leader.
00:28And Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, is one such instance, an experience which is going to be unforgettable.
00:37The crew, our entire leadership, everyone was here.
00:43But going into the Kremlin, walking into those corridors and going into the Ekaterina Hall, which is the Catherine Hall, historic.
00:51That's where all the important meetings, the decorations, all those occasions are celebrated in that very room.
00:58So it was amazing just, one, to be there, secondly, waiting for President Putin then to come for the interview, and then interviewing the man himself.
01:12And I say this because it was a no-holds-barred interview.
01:16We asked him any and every question that we wanted to.
01:19We had our own counter-questions to every response of his.
01:23And he very freely spoke about everything, whether it is bilateral, India-Russia relations, India and the region, Russia and the region, and Russia and the world.
01:35So we did not confine ourselves just to one subject, that is his very, very important visit to India, which comes after five years.
01:45But also, more importantly, the fact that where is Russia today?
01:49It's a changed world order in many ways than one.
01:52Russia certainly is in the middle of a very intense war, not just with Ukraine, but also with how Europe, the West and America is looking at this entire region.
02:03So in all of that, what we are looking at and what we understand is that this is a very confident Putin, despite all the gains or losses, a very confident Putin who thinks that he has sent out a very strong message.
02:20And at this point in time, with the change in administration in the U.S., the fact that they're engaging the administration over here in itself speaks volumes.
02:30That's exactly why it was a historic moment, because the day before when we were at the Kremlin, in that very same hall, in the rooms, just a few rooms away, there was a historic moment unfolding right in front of us.
02:45That is the meeting of Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, with President Putin.
02:49And in that meeting, there was a lot of forward movement on how America is looking at an engaged, negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
03:00We'll break that down for you, because that's a very important breaking news.
03:03But it was, in all, an amazing experience.
03:07Anjana and I were prepared, but also the fact that it went very, very smoothly when it comes to interviewing a leader.
03:15And he was absolutely okay with taking any question.
03:20The interview had to last only about an hour, but it went on for more than 90 minutes.
03:25That speaks of how comfortable the entire atmosphere for an interview, an intense interview at that, was.
03:33Right. Thank you, Geeta, for speaking with us.
03:35And we'll be keeping an eye out for that interview, which will be aired at 9 p.m. tonight.
03:41Now, in a major global exclusive, we bring you an interview of unprecedented access and significance.
03:48For the first time on world television, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks candidly and at length.
03:55The full interview airs tonight at 9 p.m.
03:58But we now present a brief excerpt in which President Putin comments on the U.S. President Donald Trump's
04:04that of pressure tactics and efforts to exert leverage over India.
04:09In a clear and forceful message, President Putin underscores Russia's steadfast support for India
04:15and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a pointed observation, he emphasizes that India is a major global power,
04:22not just a former British colony, and cannot be addressed in the manner it might have been 77 years ago.
04:31And that Prime Minister Modi is not one to give in to pressure.
04:34Listen in to this exclusive conversation with my colleagues, Geeta Mohan and Anjana Omkashyap,
04:39that they had with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
04:42We spoke about strategic autonomy, which is what India has been talking about.
04:48Strategic autonomy, decide for India's interests.
04:52But has India reduced Russian intake of oil after pressure from the West?
05:12But my question to you now would be about defence.
05:15And India continues to be the biggest defence buyer, roughly 38% of the market from Russia is bought by India.
05:24My question to you, sir, is in view of the sanctions by the U.S.
05:28or the tariffs they have laid on India, the arm-twisting methods that are being adopted,
05:33and I name it, it's America.
05:34How do you plan to circumvent all this?
05:39Will you pull back or push harder?
05:41Well, I think both the world and India have seen that one cannot talk to India the way they used to talk to it 77 years ago.
06:02India is a great power, not an English or British colony, and everyone will have to take that into account.
06:09And moreover, the head of the Indian government, Prime Minister Modi, is not one to give in to pressure.
06:15The Indian nation can take pride in the Prime Minister.
06:20It's absolutely evident Prime Minister Modi has a firm position, which is not, however, confrontational,
06:26nor are we going to enter into confrontation with anyone.
06:30We are simply trying to defend our legitimate interests, and that is exactly what India is doing.
06:36What are the obstacles?
06:37There's transactions and payments, but more than 90% of our transactions are carried out in national currencies.
06:43There are certain difficulties, of course, because there are intermediaries,
06:47but there are solutions to that, because we can transition to using the systems for financial messaging systems,
06:57which we have offered by the Bank of Russia and our Indian counterparts.
07:03And we are doing this work steadily.
07:06And those who are taking steps to limit the economic cooperation of third parties,
07:15sooner or later, will incur losses.
07:18And I think once this understanding settles in completely and fully,
07:23then this practice of pressure from outside is gone.
07:27Just talking about sustainability and trade, there's immense pressure on India and on Russia.
07:34When it comes to oil, India has suffered in terms of the kind of pressure that we're seeing from West.
07:41How can both countries handle this Western pressure and sanctions?
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