NEW DELHI — Russia and India discussed plans and made progress in talks toward jointly producing military equipment, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Moscow on Wednesday after holding talks with visiting Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar.

At a joint press briefing with the Indian minister, whose five-day Russia visit began on Monday, Lavrov said the two talked about the prospects of military and technical cooperation, including the manufacturing of modern weaponry. “We also have [taken] specific steps in this area,” Lavrov said.

He added that their cooperation was of a strategic nature, which “corresponds to the national interests of our states, the interest of maintaining security in the Eurasian continent.”

“We are respectful of the aspirations of our Indian colleagues to diversify their military and technical links. We also understand and we are ready to support their initiative to produce military products as part of the ‘Make in India’ program,” Lavrov said, referring to India’s plan to transform itself into a manufacturing hub.

Late on Wednesday, Jaishankar met President Vladimir Putin, who invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia. “We will be happy to see our friend Prime Minister Modi in Russia,” Putin told the Indian minister, saying that the two sides “have to cover a lot of ground,” according to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Jaishankar and Putin also discussed Ukraine, with the Russian leader saying that he was aware of Modi’s position on “hot spots” and “the situation in Ukraine.” Putin added that he has “repeatedly” shared information regarding Ukraine with Modi. “I know about his [desire] to resolve this problem through peaceful means,” Putin said.

Posting on X after the meeting, Jaishankar said that he was “honored to call on President Vladimir Putin” and that he conveyed warm greetings from Modi and “handed over a personal message” from him.

“Appreciated his guidance on the further developments of our ties,” Jaishankar added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, exchange documents following talks in Moscow on Dec. 27.   © Reuters

Lavrov said that he and Jaishankar agreed on a number of steps to expand cooperation, including in the International North-South Transport Corridor that connects Russia and India by ship, rail and road, as well as the establishment of the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime route.

The two leaders also discussed the Ukraine war and other regional and international matters, including the situations in Afghanistan and Gaza. They talked about cooperation in international groupings such as BRICS — whose core members are Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa — and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons and the peaceful use of nuclear energy were also discussed.

Jaishankar said India-Russia relations remain steady and strong. “They are based on our strategic convergence, on our geopolitical interests, and because they are mutually beneficial,” pointing to bilateral trade that had hit an all-time high.

“We have crossed $50 billion turnover last year [and] expect to exceed that this year,” Jaishankar said. “What is important is that this trade is more balanced, it is sustainable, and it provides for fair market access.”

In response to a question, Jaishankar said he was “very confident that we will see an annual [Russia-India] summit next year.”

The two countries customarily hold an annual summit, but that meeting has not taken place since Putin met Modi in late 2021 during a short visit to India before the start of the war in Ukraine.

Sanjay Kumar Pandey, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said that most Western countries, including the U.S., understood India’s reasons for continuing its partnership with Russia, a major supplier of its weapons, even if they have at times expressed dismay at New Delhi’s refusal to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Their relationship “has some real geopolitical and regional context” and “even if they do not like it, India will perhaps still go ahead with this partnership,” Pandey said.

India has recently experienced friction in its relations with Western nations such as Canada and the U.S. “Hence, it is an important visit as far as political signaling is concerned,” said Raj Kumar Sharma, a senior research fellow at NatStrat, an independent think tank, referring to Washington’s allegation last month that India could have been involved in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on U.S. soil.

That claim followed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement in September that there were “credible” allegations linking Indian agents to the June killing of another Sikh separatist leader in a Vancouver suburb. New Delhi has denied involvement.

Sharma said India was likely to signal to Russia during Jaishankar’s visit that dialogue was the best way to resolve the conflict with Ukraine. “For a multi-polar world, India wants to see a strong Russia, not a weakened one,” he said, adding that there would be conversation about Moscow’s ties with Beijing as well.