India-Russia ink 5 Billion $ S-400 Defence Deal

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Russian President Shri Vladimir Putin held two-day 19th edition of India-Russia annual summit in New Delhi on October 4 & 5.

India-Russia cooperation is based on the solid foundations of the 1971 Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation between the Republic of India and the USSR, 1993 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Republic of India and the Russian Federation, 2000 Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of India and the Russian Federation and 2010 Joint Statement elevating the Partnership to a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.

Cooperation between India and Russia spans across the whole gamut of sectors and rests on the fundamental pillars of political and strategic cooperation, military and security cooperation, cooperation in the spheres of economy, energy, industry, science and technology, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

During the summit crucial MoU was also signed on India’s ambitious human space mission project Gaganyaan. During the summit India finalized a Rs 39,000-crore deal for five S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems with Russia. The deal has been inked despite the objection by the US, which has slapped sanctions on Russia, about the purchase of the missile systems capable of knocking down jets, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at a range of 400km.

India and Russia have also reached an understanding on the setting up of a nuclear power plant with six light-water reactor units at a second site, going beyond Kudankulam in coastal Tamil Nadu where two reactors set up jointly by the two sides are currently in operational stages and four more units are slated to come up.

Both also agreed to step up cooperation in combating the menace of terrorism and drug trafficking.

List of Agreements/MoUs Exchanged between India and Russia

Protocol for Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and MEA for the period 2019-2023

Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog)

Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Federal Space Agency of Russia ‘ROSCOSMOS’ on Joint Activities in the field of Human Spaceflight Programme

Memorandum of Cooperation between the Indian and Russian Railways

Action Plan for Prioritization and Implementation of Cooperation Areas in the Nuclear Field

Memorandum of Understanding between the Russian Ministry of Transport and Indian Railways in the Development Cooperation in Transport Education

Memorandum of Understanding between the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), of India and the Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation (RSMB), on Cooperation in the field of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Cooperation Agreement in the Fertilizers Sector between the Russian Direct Investment Fund” (“RDIF”); PJSC Phosagro (PhosAgro) and Indian Potash Limited (IPL)