India has significantly reduced purchases of military equipment from Russia, giving preference to Western manufacturers. This marks a significant change in the traditional politics of the country, which previously was largely dependent on arms from Moscow. About this informs Bloomberg.
According to senior Indian officials, plans for joint production of helicopters and modern fighter jets with Russia have been postponed. A proposal to lease a nuclear submarine to train Indian crews is also unlikely, as the country builds its own vessels. Of the orders made even before the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, India has not yet received two warships and anti-missile defense systems.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia’s share of India’s arms imports will fall to 36% in 2022, down from 76% in 2009. At the same time, India continues to buy cheap energy resources from Russia and provide some diplomatic support to Vladimir Putin.
However, in recent years, the country has been cooperating more actively with defense partners from the West, in particular the USA and France. Since 2018, India has signed contracts worth nearly $20 billion in US military products, according to the US Congressional Research Service. In October, the country signed an agreement worth more than $3 billion to purchase 31 long-range drones from the American company General Atomics.
In addition, India is actively developing its own arms production with the support of Western partners, which indicates its intention to reduce dependence on imports and strengthen national defense capabilities.
