Putin’s Visit Underscores ‘Historical’ India–Russia Partnership: Former Diplomat Arun Singh

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Former diplomat Arun Singh on Thursday described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India as an “important” and timely reaffirmation of the longstanding India–Russia strategic relationship. Singh, who has served twice in Moscow—once during the Soviet era and again in the 1990s after the dissolution of the USSR—said the partnership rests on deep historical foundations and mutual confidence.

“This is an important visit. I have had occasion to serve twice in Moscow… and I could sense that there is a historical nature to the partnership. There is a confidence in the relationship on both sides,” he said.

Singh noted that India retains a strong institutional memory of Russia’s consistent political support, particularly at moments of diplomatic significance. “In India, there is a memory of Russia being an important partner which has provided political support that we've needed from time to time, including at the UN Security Council,” he said.

He also underlined Russia’s long-standing role as a key defence partner, supplying systems that have proved crucial during major operations. “It has also shared with us defense items that we've needed, again, which has been very important,” he said, highlighting the recent Operation Sindoor. “If you saw in Operation Sindoor, among the weapons systems that did very well were the S-400 and the BrahMos missile, which are part of the Russia partnership.”