Putin blasts West over ‘detrimental’ interference in India-Russia ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia is determined to broaden its time-tested relations with India and asserted that the US attempts to force New Delhi into scaling back its cooperation with Russia are both futile and damaging to international relations. In an interaction with heads of leading global news agencies in St. Peterburg, Putin lauded India's economic growth and its independent foreign policy and said Russia is determined to expand its economic engagement with the country. "India is among the world's major economies and is currently demonstrating an impressive rate of economic growth," Putin remarked, expressing confidence that bilateral trade between the two nations is on track to hit a USD 100 billion milestone in the coming years. "The US is trying to put pressure on India when it comes to cooperation with Russia on some tracks. But everyone has understood that putting pressure on Narendra Modi (and India) that has the largest population in the world, is detrimental for international relations and for bilateral relations," he said. "It doesn't matter where this pressure comes from," Putin said, adding "We don't see any negative consequences."

'West trying to put PRESSURE on India, for example when it comes to cooperation with Russia' — Putin

'BUT everyone understands putting pressure on Narendra Modi DETRIMENTAL to intl and bilateral relations'

'We don’t see any negative consequences… India a very reliable partner' pic.twitter.com/Z3YKZAnMl2

— RT (@RT_com) June 4, 2026

The Russian president's remarks came against the backdrop of increasing disquiet in some of the Western capitals over India-Russia relations. The US has constantly been urging India to cut back its procurement of Russian crude oil. The Russian President emphasised that New Delhi will continue to prioritise its own national interests, adding that India's diplomatic engagement with the United States does not hinder or undermine its time-tested relationship with Russia.Putin also dismissed the idea that European Union countries could act as mediators in peace talks with Ukraine. He said that the EU could help resolve the conflict by persuading Kyiv to compromise instead of supplying it with weapons.