Putin Aims to Boost Russia-India Trade Relations Amid Tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasizes enhancing economic cooperation with India to rectify trade imbalances caused by heavy crude imports. He praised Prime Minister Modi's leadership, criticized potential U.S. tariffs, and proposed increasing agricultural and medicinal imports from India as part of the solution.

In a strategic move to correct trade imbalances with India, Russian President Vladimir Putin has initiated plans to increase purchases of agricultural products and medicines from the nation. The trade imbalance is primarily driven by Russia's significant crude oil imports from India.

Addressing the Valdai plenary session, Putin expressed confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diplomatic acumen and noted his anticipation of their meeting during his December visit to India. Highlighting India's stance against external pressure, he dismissed U.S. threats of high tariffs on Russian key partners, asserting India's resilience in protecting its interests.

To offset the imbalance, Putin proposed that Russia could enhance its import of Indian agricultural and pharmaceutical products. He underscored the importance of addressing economic cooperation bottlenecks such as financing and logistics, asserting that both nations historically enjoy robust diplomatic relations.

(With inputs from agencies.)