Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], October 19 : Defence expert Shiwalee Deshpande weighed in on the importance of the India-Russia relationship, and said the two countries are 'strategic partners' and their relationship is growing day by day.
Highlighting the "long-standing" friendship between New Delhi and Moscow, she recalled that Moscow helped India not just in the 1971 war but has throughout been the main supplier of India's defence needs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin from October 22-23 to attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan.
This will be the second visit of PM Modi to Russia this year. He had earlier visited the Russian Federation in July, in his first bilateral visit since assuming office for the third term.
Speaking to ANI, Deshpande said, "India is going to become a superpower very soon. So owing to this and owing to the relationship that Russia has with India, the relationship is going stronger day by day."
She added that the bonhomie between the leaders of the two countries adds positively to their relationship.
"Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi are very close friends as well. So this relationship is being viewed with very other different angles. The different angles are that we are friends not only in strategic matters, we are friends in political matters, we are friends in economic matters, we are friends in the trade matters, and all the other matters," Deshpande added.
The defence expert further noted that the world watches this growing India-Russia relationship as "very strategic."
"Russia is our biggest partner in every field. And in any matter, Russia and India will always be friends," Deshpande said. "The world sees the friendship between us and Russia as very strategic."
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his concern over the Ukraine war and efforts towards paving a solution to the conflict raging for close to three years.
"While talking with PM Modi, each time he raises this matter and expresses his considerations. We are thankful to him for that," President Putin said at a media briefing ahead of BRICS Summit.
PM Modi has underlined the importance of dialogue and diplomacy as well as sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to achieve an abiding and peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Putin also echoed Prime Minister Modi's stance on BRICS, emphasising that the grouping is not anti-Western but rather non-Western ahead of the group's summit in October.
"BRICS is not an anti-Western group; it's just a non-Western group," Putin said. "BRICS does not counterpose itself to anyone. It is a group of nations that work in concert, have shared values and shared goals of development and consider each other's interests. This will be the basis of our working cause. said Russian President Vladimir Putin," he added.