Pressure on Modi over Russia ties to fail: Putin

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the United States' attempts to pressurise India over its ties with Moscow would be ineffective and that Moscow does not view New Delhi's growing cooperation with Washington and other countries as a threat to bilateral ties.

"Everyone has understood that putting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is detrimental for international relations and for bilateral relations," Putin told a select group of media on the sidelines of St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in St Petersburg on Thursday night.

"The US is trying to put pressure on India in some matters, for example, when it comes to cooperation with Russia on some tracks," he said without specifying any particular action by the US. "It doesn't matter where this pressure comes from. We don't see any negative consequences."


Despite India's expanding strategic partnership with the US, Russia remains confident about the future of its relationship with New Delhi, he said.

Putin's comments appeared to refer to Western concerns over India's strong partnership with Russia in energy, trade and defence.

The Russian president expressed confidence in the future of India-Russia economic ties, saying bilateral trade could reach $100 billion in the coming years.

He said Russia has offered India unrestricted tech transfer and joint production rights for its Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter jet.