Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday (Dec 10). Defence Minister Singh, who is on a three-day official visit to Russia, arrived in Moscow on Sunday night.
Media reports had said that Singh and Putin’s meeting might see high-level discussions between the two leaders. Upon his arrival in Moscow, Singh received a warm welcome from Indian Ambassador to Russia Venkatesh Kumar and Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin.
Singh lays wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Earlier on Tuesday, Singh laid a wreath at the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” in Moscow to honour the Soviet soldiers killed during the Second World War.
In a post on X, Singh said, “Laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.”
Singh also interacted with the members of the Indian community and highlighted the growth trajectory of India. He lauded the contribution of the Indian diaspora in Russia.
‘India-Russia relationship is very strong’
On Tuesday, the 21st session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) was co-chaired by Rajnath Singh and Andrey Belousov in Moscow.
During the session, Singh emphasised that the India-Russia relationship was very strong, and has lived up to the responsibilities of a special and privileged strategic partnership. He added that the ties have further strengthened with the recent exchanges including two visits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia earlier this year.
“Singh voiced the Government of India’s determination to extend the capabilities of its domestic defence industry across domains and industrial collaboration. He stressed on new opportunities for enhancing participation of Russian industries in the ‘Make in India’ projects. He reiterated India’s commitment towards Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership with Russia,” a statement from the Indian defence ministry said.
“The Russian Defence Minister emphasised on deepening relationship between both the countries which is based on mutual trust. He congratulated Raksha Mantri on the commissioning of INS Tushil,” the statement added.