India's Modi lands in Russia for first visit since Ukraine war
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00:00Now the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has touched down in Moscow
00:03It's his first visit to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine
00:07New Delhi hasn't condemned the war, but it's advocated a peaceful solution and remains a key trading partner
00:12Trade between the two sides sharply increased to 65 billion dollars in the last financial year due to strong energy cooperation
00:20Vladimir Putin will no doubt be using Modi's visit to demonstrate to the West that he isn't a pariah on the world stage
00:26We can now bring in France 24's chief foreign editor Rob Parsons. Rob, good afternoon now
00:31Whatever happens with this trip, whatever the outcome
00:35Putin's gonna use this to his advantage, isn't he?
00:37He's going to try to it's interesting that it should be happening at the time when the NATO summit is about to start off in
00:43The US so he will of course you'll be trying to do it
00:46You the fact that he's recently seen Orbán the Hungarian Prime Minister as well
00:52He's trying to put across the impression that he's not isolated on the world stage, but you know seeing
00:59the leader of North Korea and seeing
01:01Orbán who's not whose visit wasn't seen by the European Union as part as an official European Union
01:07Visit to Moscow doesn't really add up to the sort of international recognition that he would like
01:13Getting Narendra Modi however is a different kettle of fish. That is a much more serious visit
01:20But how much he'll get out of it is it is another matter though
01:23I think Narendra Modi will go to Moscow being being very cautious
01:27It's in his interest to go now because he's concerned about the developing relationship between Russia and China
01:34He will want to get a sounding I think from
01:37President Putin about what that precisely means and how far Russia wants to go with that relationship
01:43And how damaging potentially it could be for India because India regards
01:48China as its greatest geopolitical threat and is concerned that the cozying relationship between
01:56China and Russia could be potentially threatening to India given the fact that
02:02India's main arm supply even today
02:05You know all these decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union is Russia even today
02:10You know 60% of the weapons that Russia had that India has in its inventory are of either Soviet or Russian origin
02:17it is true that the the amount of
02:19Armaments coming into India from Russia is much diminished now by comparison with say the 1990s still around 30% or so
02:27But you know, those are the concerns that Narendra Modi will be going to to Moscow about he he's going there open-eyed
02:34He's pulled back from Russia over the years. You mentioned that he hasn't been there since
02:402015 he was in Russia in
02:432019 economic forum in Vladivostok
02:45but he's met Putin less and less there used to be the case that
02:49The Indian and Russian leaders would meet once a year for a bilateral summit not happening anymore
02:54And I don't see this as being a change in that direction
02:57I think Narendra Modi feels he's the leader of a very powerful growing country the largest population in the world the fastest growing
03:05Economy in the world. He's the one who can call the shots
03:08He's the one who can call the shots, but while the West won't necessarily
03:14Say anything about the visit. They will know that be watching won't they?
03:17Yes, of course, they'll be watching and there are already been one or two shots across the Indians bows. For instance the the US
03:25Ambassador to India warned the Indian
03:29Enterprises not to break sanctions
03:32We against Russia because there's been a considerable amount of concern in the West about certain companies in India doing precisely that
03:40Although there has been a degree of tolerance
03:42For the very reason that I just mentioned that the West needs India as well
03:47India is a very rapidly developing economy very big population a lot of West Western investment going into India
03:55So, you know the Indians know that they can play this game as long as they're very cautious about it
04:00But the you know
04:01The fact of the matter is the West sees that India in many respects has saved the Russian economy over the last two years
04:08You mentioned that 65 billion dollars worth of oil imported the West could well do without without that, but it's not going to happen