Russia, India to increase cooperation, leaders say

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he described as his friend in a statement issued before their meeting. Upon landing in Moscow, Modi said he was looking forward to talks about increasing military and technological cooperation. Hours later, he thanked Putin for hosting him and said he looked forward to more discussions with the Russian leader on Tuesday. For his part, Putin congratulated Modi on his recent reelection and praised the benefits he’d brought to the people of India as their leader.

What is the focus of the talks? The Russian state-run news agency TASS reported that Modi would likely discuss the war in Ukraine with Putin. Modi and Putin would likely also discuss energy cooperation. Russia has become one of India’s most important energy suppliers in recent years, TASS reported.

Dig deeper: Read Mark Tooley’s column in WORLD Opinions about India’s religious nationalism.