Moscow and Delhi are negotiating additional supplies of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India, Dmitry Shugaev, head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, told Russian media, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
„India already has our S-400 system. There is potential for expanding our cooperation in this area as well. This means new supplies. "We are currently in the negotiation stage," Shugaev said.
In 2018, India signed a $5.5 billion deal with Russia for five S-400 "Triumph" long-range surface-to-air missile systems, which Delhi says it needs to counter a threat from China.
But deliveries of the systems have been delayed several times. Moscow is expected to deliver the last two S-400 systems ordered to India in 2026 and 2027.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Vladimir Putin that India and Russia stand shoulder to shoulder even in difficult times, after the Kremlin leader called the Indian prime minister his "dear friend" on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in China.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later said that India had not complied with US demands to stop buying resources from Russia and that Moscow "appreciates" this.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia accounts for 36% of India's arms imports between 2020 and 2024, while France provides 33% and Israel 13%.