Russia fulfilling obligations: Kremlin on remaining S-400 deliveries

New Delhi: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday confirmed that the delivery of Russia’s S-400 Triumf air defence systems to India in 2026 remains on the agenda of discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their upcoming meeting in New Delhi on Friday, on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit.

“Russia is capable of fulfilling its obligations, and they will be fulfilled. This issue is being mentioned during the conversations of our two leaders,” said Peskov while speaking to Indian media during a virtual briefing hosted by Sputnik India.

In 2018, New Delhi signed a $5.43 billion agreement with Russia to purchase five S-400 air defence systems. The delivery of the two systems remaining under the contract is expected to be completed this year.

On March 27, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the acquisition of additional Russian S-400 air defence missile systems, further underscoring the growing defence cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow.

The Ministry of Defence stated that, for the Indian Air Force, proposals were cleared for the procurement of Medium Transport Aircraft, S-400 Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile System, Remotely Piloted Strike Aircraft and overhaul of Su-30 Aero engine Aggregates. The induction of Medium Transport Aircraft by replacing the transport fleet of AN32 and IL76 will meet the strategic, tactical and operational airlift requirements of the Services, it said.

“The S-400 system will counter enemy long-range air vectors targeting vital areas, while the Remotely Piloted Strike Aircraft will enable undertaking Offensive Counter and Coordinated Air Operations, also providing stealth Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance activities. The overhaul of Su-30 aero engine and its aggregates will increase the service life of the aircraft and fulfil the operational requirement of the Air Force,” the Ministry of Defence had stated on March 27.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Peskov further stressed the need to advance the long-standing defence cooperation between the two countries and expressed Russia’s readiness to share its advanced military equipment with India.

Referring to the BrahMos missile programme, he said the two countries should now explore ways to upgrade the system by adding new capabilities and improving its effectiveness and competitiveness.

“We are satisfied with our cooperation in the military field and in the technical-military field with India. It has very rich traditions, and it is a deeply rooted cooperation. We have very good military equipment—some of which is the best in the world—and we are ready to share this equipment with our Indian partners. We have even gone further in this cooperation than just buying and selling: we are producing jointly. As you know, with BrahMos, we are producing missiles jointly. It is now time to think about improving those missiles, adding additional capabilities, and making them more competitive on the market and more effective…” the Kremlin spokesperson mentioned.

Peskov said that military cooperation would be an important area of discussion during Putin’s visit to New Delhi, while noting that the details could not be discussed publicly.

“Cooperation in the military field is a very sensitive sphere and, of course, no one would discuss it publicly and openly. But, I would like to assure you that we have lots of issues to be discussed in this context, and all these issues will also be on the agenda during the visit,” he noted.

IANS