In an exclusive interview with India Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserts that 'India is a major global player, not a British colony' and praises Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, stating he 'is not someone who succumbs to pressure easily.' Addressing the impact of 'Operation Sindur' and Western sanctions, Putin confirms that defence cooperation, including S-400 and S-500 systems, remains robust. He highlights that 'over 90% of our transactions are already conducted in national currencies' and discusses future nuclear collaboration, specifically small power plants. Putin also comments on President Trump, noting that Russia's collaboration with India is 'not against anyone' but for mutual benefit.
00:00But my question to you now would be about defense and India continues to be the biggest defense buyer roughly 38 percent of the market from Russia is bought by India. My question to you, sir, is in view of the sanctions by the U.S. or the tariffs they have laid on India, the arm twisting methods that are being adopted and I name it's America.
00:22How do you plan to circumvent all this? Will you pull back or push harder?
00:37It appears that both India and the world recognize that India cannot continue to be treated the way it was treated 77 years ago.
00:47India is a major global player, not a British colony, and everyone must accept this reality.
00:55Furthermore, Prime Minister Modi is not someone who succumbs to pressure easily. The Indian people can certainly take pride in their leader.
01:04This is absolutely obvious. His stance is unwavering and straightforward without being confrontational.
01:11Our goal is not to provoke conflict. Rather, we aim to protect our lawful rights. India does the same.
01:21What are the obstacles? Obstacles in settlements. However, over 90% of our transactions are already conducted in national currencies.
01:32While some complications arise due to the presence of numerous intermediaries, there are also solutions.
01:41We can switch to the existing systems for exchanging electronic messages on financial transactions of the Bank of Russia and of our partners in India.
01:50These efforts are ongoing and advancing. Those who attempt to hinder economic ties with third countries ultimately encounter difficulties and suffer losses.
02:03I am confident that once this perspective becomes firmly established, such tactics of applying external pressure will fade away.
02:13Three specific questions, sir. Number one, because during Operation Sindur, the weapons we had acquired from Russia proved very crucial in our victory.
02:24And that is why I would like to ask you specifically about S-400, the air defense system, the five S-400s that are awaited by.
02:32When can we expect that? The second question is on S-500, the more advanced air defense system. And the third question is the fifth generation fighter jet Su-57. How are you going to push for this and what's the update, sir?
02:50You seem to be an expert on the issue, as if we are engaged in negotiations on military technical cooperation.
03:00If we delve into the substance, India stands out as one of our reliable and privileged partners in this area.
03:07We are not merely selling something to India, and India isn't merely buying something from us in the sphere of defense and security. No.
03:17It is a different level, a different quality of relations we have with India, and we value this.
03:23We see how India values this relationship too. Why? Allow me to emphasize again. We are not simply selling technology, we are sharing it. And it is a very rare thing to see in the sphere of military technical cooperation.
03:42It speaks to the level of trust between the two countries and the level of trust between the two peoples, I would put it in this way.
03:53We have a broad portfolio indeed, including naval construction, rocket and missile engineering, and aircraft engineering.
04:01You have just mentioned the Su-57 aircraft. India operates several other Russian-made aircraft too. And there's the production of armored vehicles.
04:13India is manufacturing our renowned T-19 tanks. Trust me when I tell you that these tanks rank among the best in the world.
04:22Moreover, the famous Brahmos missile, a joint venture between Russia and India, is manufactured primarily at Indian facilities.
04:34Therefore, Prime Minister Modi's Make in India initiative should be implemented in this area as well.
04:40The Kalashnikov is certainly an important weapon. But we have been discussing high, one might even say cutting-edge technologies.
04:52Given the combat experience in using certain types of weapons, their value has multiplied many-fold.
04:58Now, Indian military specialists, thanks to their strong ties with our military, understand clearly how and in what circumstances a particular weapon performs best, and where and when it should be deployed.
05:14This is an extremely important understanding, which is shared by both the Indian and Russian sides.
05:19Right. President Sir, I have to go back to your oil question, because you spoke about strategic autonomy, which is what India has been talking about. Strategic autonomy decide for India's interests.
05:32But has India reduced Russian intake of oil after pressure from the West?
05:37Well, there is a certain decline in overall trade turnover during the first nine months of this year. This is just a minor adjustment.
05:55Overall, our trade turnover stands almost at the same level as before.
06:00I can't give you exact monthly figures right now, but trade in petroleum products and crude oil, as well as the production of petroleum products for consumers of oil, Russian oil, is running smoothly in India.
06:16I know the sentiment of Russian partners, of Russian companies. They believe their Indian counterparts are reliable and very serious people.
06:37Right. The other important aspect in terms of cooperation between India and Russia is the nuclear front.
06:43Russia has been one of the biggest movers when it comes to nuclear facilities in India. Are we looking at important announcements on the nuclear front? Nuclear today is a sensitive issue for Russia.
06:57Yes, of course, we have some announcements to make. We are indeed one of the biggest movers, as you have noted.
07:05Speaking seriously, we are producers of the world's most advanced and reliable equipment for nuclear power plants.
07:19The Russian company Rosatom builds and operates more nuclear reactors for nuclear power plants abroad than any other company in the world. 22 nuclear units.
07:33The well-known facility and our joint project, the Kudankulam plant, is one of the leaders in this regard.
07:44These are large units. They operate efficiently and, I reiterate, have proven to be very useful.
07:52There are some announcements you have just asked about. What is it about?
08:01The news is that Russia is probably the only country in the world today capable of building, and actually does build, small nuclear power plants.
08:11Such plants are already operational in Russia, and we can make them either floating or ground-based.
08:22It's an excellent option for specific regions where big power stations are not needed, or where connecting electricity grids between generators and end-users is infeasible.
08:36These compact nuclear power modules can thus be deployed in isolated and hard-to-access locations.
08:49That's a lot of collaboration and cooperation. You're talking about made in India, make with Russia. How do you think President Trump is going to react to all of this?
08:56You know, neither me nor Prime Minister Modi, despite certain external pressure we face, have ever, and I want to emphasize this, I want you to hear it, approached our collaboration to work against someone.
09:15President Trump has his own agenda, whereas we focus on ours, not against anyone, but rather aimed at safeguarding our respective interests, India's and Russia's interests.
09:30In our dealings we cause no harm to others, and I believe that leaders from other countries should appreciate this.
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