Russia-India 'working together' to boost New Delhi’s exports ahead of Putin’s visit: Kremlin

India and Russia are “working together” to boost New Delhi’s exports, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, noting that Moscow remains a key energy supplier for India even though oil volumes may see a temporary dip.

Speaking at an online media briefing ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to India for summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Peskov stressed the need for trade mechanisms that are insulated from third-country influence.

“Tariff between India and then the United States is rather a question of bilateral relations between India and the US, what concerns us is the way we’re going to continue and enlarge the volume of our bilateral business with India, not letting anyone interfere,” he said.

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Peskov added that settling a large share of bilateral trade in national currencies plays an important role in safeguarding economic ties. Russia has also thanked India for what it described as a “very friendly stand” towards Moscow and praised New Delhi’s position on the Ukraine conflict.

Previously, Firstpost’s Madhur Sharma reported that India has leveraged its historic ties with Russia, along with a recent thaw in relations with China, to cushion the economic impact. Indian exporters are now expected to compete directly with some Chinese rivals in the Russian market.

His remarks come just days before Putin begins a two-day visit to India. They also underline Moscow’s view that India has continued to buy Russian oil and other energy supplies despite pressure from the US, which has imposed 50 percent tariffs on India, including 25 percent linked to Russian oil purchases.

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Peskov said the India–Russia partnership rests on a deep historical foundation marked by mutual understanding, shared perspectives on global issues, and respect for each other’s interests based on international law.

“This is a very important characteristic of our relationship. We are proud to have been shoulder to shoulder next to our Indian friends during their historic growth. We are very grateful to India for a very friendly stand nowadays, very friendly stand towards our country," he said.

He emphasised that it is essential for both countries to structure their trade and economic engagement so that it remains shielded from external pressure.

“We appreciate India’s position on the Ukraine conflict. We respect Prime Minister Modi’s stance and value the exchange of information between him and President Putin. Prime Minister Modi and his Indian counterparts are willing to listen to our position, which ensures mutual understanding. Unfortunately, we do not have such dialogue with Europeans — how can you understand a position if you do not engage in talks? India listens to us, India hears us, and we truly appreciate that," Peskov said.

On the issue of trade imbalance, Peskov acknowledged that Russia sells far more to India than it buys, and said both sides are looking for ways to address this.

“We’re selling much more than we buy from India. We know that our Indian friends are concerned about that. By the way, we’re jointly looking for possibilities of increasing import, imports from India to Russia. So we want to buy more from India," he said.