ET has learned that Russia shipped two units of the S-400 missile defence systems ahead of Monday’s Indo-Russian summit. These are expected to arrive by the middle of this month.
India and Russia are expected to sign 10 agreements during the summit. One of the missile systems could be deployed along the western border of India. The remaining three of the total 5 S-400s will arrive by September 2022.
“New Delhi pursues a strategic autonomy with regard to defence purchases, India bought Rafale fighter jets from France, Apache helicopters from USA, and with Russia and earlier Soviet Union we have long standing defence ties,” a person familiar with the development said on Saturday.
The Russian president will travel to India for less than 10 hours for the 21st annual summit, demonstrating a commitment to the strategic Indo-Russian partnership.
Additionally, a 10-year defence agreement, contract for jointly manufacturing the AK-203 assault rifle, a mutual logistics agreement, as well as a navy-to-navy cooperation agreement will be signed.
