On this Special Report, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks exclusively to India Today’s Anjana Om Kashyap and Geeta Mohan at the Kremlin ahead of his visit to New Delhi. President Putin hails India’s development over 77 years as 'almost like a miracle', noting that life expectancy has nearly doubled. Addressing Western sanctions, he asserts, 'Our energy cooperation with India remains unaffected by current conditions, fleeting political swings, or indeed the tragic events in Ukraine.' The President also discusses the 'Make in India' initiative, nuclear cooperation at Kudankulam, and future partnerships in AI and space, while sharing a personal anecdote about his camaraderie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
00:00Dear viewers, hello and a very warm welcome. You're watching Arch Thak India
00:05today and I'm Anjana Om Kashyap and we're at Kremlin today and you're about
00:09to witness history, a very historic moment. It is said that when two old
00:14friends meet, they have their private jokes, they have a lot of banter, they
00:19have a lot of fun and they have a bonhomie or camaraderie but the others in
00:25the room might feel a little uncomfortable and why do I say this? I say
00:29this because as the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin meets
00:34Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, the world will be watching very very
00:39closely. Vladimir Putin is undoubtedly one of the most influential politicians of
00:45the world whose decisions don't just affect Russia but numerous nations across
00:49the world. He's a very compelling and enigmatic figure on the world stage. It
00:56just doesn't get more exciting than this. Well, that's right, Anjana. Hello and
01:01welcome. I'm Geeta Mohan. We have with us a man who is known to be one of the world's
01:08longest serving leaders. He's seen it all through wars and economic recessions, from
01:15disintegration of countries to a changed world order, from Boris Yeltsin to Donald Trump,
01:22from Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Manmohan Singh to Narendra Modi. He's seen the world change
01:30right in front of him and he's taken Russia through very turbulent times and yet has cemented
01:37his position as a force to reckon with. Thank you so much, President, for doing this with us. You're in
01:43conversation with India Today and Ashutak. That's the President of the Russian Federation for you.
01:49Thank you so much, sir, for joining us on our network. How are you doing?
01:55I hope you'll enjoy your stay in Russia. Hope that you like Moscow and the Kremlin where we are currently collaborating together. As you see, everything is going on as planned. On the whole, we are satisfied with the current economic situation. Most importantly, I'm delighted to be meeting, as you've mentioned, my friend Prime Minister Modi.
02:23We have made a specific arrangement to do so in India because there are numerous topics on which we need to talk and our collaboration with India spans an extensive array and, of course, the unique nature of our relationship adds another layer of significance.
02:44I also want to highlight that India's progress over the past 77 years since gaining independence, an extremely brief span in historical terms, has been substantial indeed and India has truly come a long way in development.
03:02I will discuss this further below. You know, as we go about our daily lives, we often fail to notice the changes happening right before our eyes. We scarcely ever take note of them.
03:16Yet, if you glance even slightly into the past and reflect on what has occurred in India, it's almost like a miracle. For example, few people recognize that life expectancy in India has nearly doubled during this period.
03:38We will talk about longevity in some time from now. We will definitely discuss that. Anyway, our relationship with India is advancing in numerous fields. It's a pleasure to meet Prime Minister Modi again, with whom we have both a professional and a personal friendly relationship.
04:00Sir, may I ask you, you just talked about the Indo-Russian ties and it dates back to almost more than seven decades.
04:10Dosti in Hindi and Drozba in Russian, this friendship dates back to more than seven decades. My question to you is, how do you assess the strength of this friendship in today's time? And what would you say about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom you call your dost?
04:29You know, the world is evolving rapidly, and the space keeps getting faster, which is plainly visible to all. The global configuration is changing, with new centers of power emerging, and the global power landscape is changing too.
04:58Therefore, it's crucial to ensure stability among major nations, since this forms the groundwork for gradual progress in both bilateral and international relations.
05:10In this context, our collaborative endeavors with Prime Minister Modi carries significant weight, because they transcend our mutual ties. Given its direct relevance to both nations, ensuring stability in key areas of engagement is crucial, as it helps secure the fulfillment of our objectives.
05:35Prime Minister Modi sets very challenging tasks for the country, and for himself in the first place, then for the administration, and eventually for the nation.
05:50Take, for example, his famous pitch, make in India. It has a practical dimension, including for our bilateral relations. When we meet, he always says, let's do this, let's do that, let's look at this area and that.
06:11I can list them all. Therefore, we have a lot of practical areas of cooperation.
06:20Before that takes on to the next question, one little small, very interesting question, because when you met Prime Minister Darendra Modi in SCO, and there was this picture and video of you and him going in a car, and you're showing it to our viewers right now, you were traveling in a car with him.
06:37Was it pre-planned? Or how did it go about? How did it happen? And what did you discuss in the car?
06:44We have just gone over the current topics. This wasn't pre-arranged, we simply stepped out, and my car was waiting. I asked, would you like to come along? That's all there's to it. A gesture of human solidarity, camaraderie, and friendship.
07:04No hidden scheme was involved. We climbed into the car like old friends and talked en route. We always have things to discuss.
07:14What's more, we continued our conversation and just remained in the car. Eventually, I suggested, let's go. They are already waiting for us.
07:23There is nothing special here. It simply indicates that we have matters to discuss, and those matters are very important to us.
07:30Right. President Sir, the fact that you're going to go to India, you just said that both leaders are going to cement the guarantees that you give each other.
07:40What are the kind of announcements that we can expect? We've heard about technology transfer. We've heard about trade enhancement.
07:48What are the solid announcements during this visit? And I ask you, this is because the world, and you know who I mean, would be watching.
08:02The world would be watching our visit. There is no big deal here. India is an enormous country, home to one and half billion people, boasting a growing economy with a 7% annual growth rate, leading among major global powers.
08:22After all, Mr. Modi has made this possible. It's something both the Indian nation and Prime Minister Modi himself can rightfully claim as their achievement.
08:36Naturally, there always be critics who think that improvements could have been more significant, but that's an achievement.
08:44We've laid out an ambitious plan for collaboration in key domains. The most critical areas are indeed forward-looking. I'm referring specifically to high technology.
08:58Our partnership with India encompasses such fields as space exploration, energy, notably nuclear power, exemplified by the prominent Kudankulam nuclear power plant project, shipbuilding and aviation.
09:15There are many interesting areas for cooperation that are looking to the future. Take, for example, artificial intelligence.
09:22We'll likely discuss it further down the line. AI represents a crucial technology, shaping the future, rapidly transforming the world, amplifying possibilities exponentially while simultaneously presenting certain challenges.
09:41There are the matters we will discuss, choosing the ones that are the most significant for us, as both Prime Minister Modi and I believe.
09:49That's what we will focus on and what we will focus on and what we will work on.
09:52Any specific agreement, sir?
09:57Well, of course. However, perhaps we shouldn't reveal them just yet. We will do that during the visit, when we can unveil everything publicly.
10:08Then our colleagues will first share with us all the documents they have prepared and it would require our final approval.
10:16OK, just talking about sustainability and trade, there is immense pressure on India and on Russia. When it comes to oil, India has suffered in terms of the kind of pressure that we are seeing from the West. How can both countries handle this Western pressure and sanctions?
10:37The issue here is that the pressure you have referred to typically involves employing political instruments to influence normal competition.
10:48Our energy cooperation with India remains unaffected by current conditions, fleeting political swings or indeed the tragic events in Ukraine.
11:00Regarding hydrocarbons. Well before the Ukrainian situation, our business entities had already built a solid and efficient commercial relationship that is based on mutual trust.
11:15It's widely known that one of our leading companies acquired an oil refinery in India. This investment represented one of the largest foreign inflows into the Indian economy, totalling more than 20 billion US dollars.
11:32Our company has been continuously expanding operations of this refinery. Working with its partners and operating successfully year after year. As a result, India has become one of the major refined product suppliers to Europe. Not just because it buys our oil with a discount.
11:55It took years to achieve and is in no way connected to the current economic environment. Certain actors clearly dislike India's growing role in international markets owing to its ties with Russia. Consequently, they are seeking means to constrain India's influence for political reasons by imposing artificial obstacles.
Be the first to comment