National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was briefed by his Russian colleague Nikolai Patrushev on the failed coup attempt by the Wagner Group, a mercenary force led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime supporter of President Vladimir Putin, that attacked Moscow last week.
Although the Indian government withheld details of the phone call, a brief Russian statement said Patrushev spoke with Doval on the “latest developments.” According to diplomatic sources, Patrushev emphasised that Putin was not in danger because the situation in Russia was now under control.
“The existing problems of Russian-Indian security cooperation and the prospects for their improvement within the framework of bilateral and multilateral platforms were reviewed in detail. Patrushev also updated Doval on recent developments in Russia. The interlocutors agreed to carry on a private conversation,” the Russian readout stated.
The SCO summit, which will be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4 and will feature Chinese President Xi Jinping in attendance, is anticipated to include participation from the Russian president. Putin on Thursday hailed India’s Make in India project and its “visible effect” on the Indian economy, referring to Modi as a close friend of Russia.
In September, Putin is also set to visit India for the G20 meeting, where India is hoping that disagreements over Ukraine won’t derail a proposed joint declaration that the government wants to be centred on addressing the concerns of developing nations.
The Indian government and leaders have so far refrained from commenting on the alleged attempt to topple the Russian defence establishment that resulted in Prigozhin and his forces moving idly towards Moscow on June 24 for several hours before turning around and fleeing to Belarus. Patrushev and Doval are known to get along well personally, and the two have previously met frequently to discuss their respective stances on security-related topics, particularly Afghanistan.
Even if the government is still concerned about Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine, India’s economic ties with Russia have increased dramatically since the Ukraine war, riding the wave of unprecedented oil imports. Without directly criticising Russia, the government has expressed its concerns by repeatedly highlighting the need to respect the UN Charter, the sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all States in various international fora and by referencing Modi’s oft-quoted remark to Putin that this isn’t the era of war.
However, the overall relationship has remained stable despite all the global unrest, as foreign minister S. Jaishankar stated on Wednesday. The minister referred to it as a special connection and asserted that, despite the links having been reduced to imports of arms, they were actually considerably more intricate.
According to Jaishankar, there is a geopolitical reason for what we have been doing with Russia, and there has been an increase in commercial ties.
