A new report has been released with the latest update on the India-Russia deal for S-400 missile systems. The deal concerning air missile system is at the negotiating stage between New Delhi and Moscow. It was reported by the TASS news agency, citing a senior Russian defence export official. The report came just a day after PM Modi Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin.
“India already has our S-400 system,” Reuters, quoting the TASS agency, reported Dmitry Shugayev, head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, as saying. “There is potential to expand our cooperation in this area as well. That means new deliveries. For now, we are in the negotiation stage.” It added.
India-Russia S-400 Deal
In 2018, India signed a USD 5.43 billion deal with Russia for five squadrons of the S-400 Triumf missile system. This is the state-of-the-art air defence platform capable of engaging multiple aerial threats at long ranges. Three squadrons have already been delivered.
The S-400 air defence system, renamed “Sudarshan Chakra” in India, can detect and destroy missiles and drones. Recently, it successfully stopped drones fired by Pakistan after Operation Sindoor.
The delivery of the S-400 systems has been delayed several times. According to Reuters, Russia is expected to deliver the final two units to India in 2026 and 2027.
Last month, Russia’s Deputy Chief of Mission in India, Roman Babushkin, said India will receive the remaining S-400 units by 2025–2026. He confirmed that the contract for the last two units is on track and deliveries will follow the announced schedule.
Modi-Putin Meet In Tianjin
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China. The body language of both leaders and the way they interacted grabbed headlines globally. A video showing Modi and Putin holding hands and walking towards China’s Xi Jinping, with all three forming a close circle and engaging in conversation, went viral on social media.
Before heading to the venue for bilateral talks, Putin waited for Modi for 10 minutes. They then boarded the car together in Putin’s Russian-made Aurus limousine, where they had an hour-long conversation before joining their teams for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. The trip to the meeting venue took about 15 minutes, but the leaders spent an additional 45 minutes in the car continuing their conversation.
PM Modi told Vladimir Putin that India supports Russia even in difficult times.
Earlier, Putin had called Modi his “dear friend” during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in China.
