Putin says US pressure on Modi to cut Russia ties is 'detrimental' as $100 bn trade target looms

Vladimir Putin has publicly defended the durability of Russia's partnership with India, projecting bilateral trade between the two nations will reach $100 billion in the coming years and dismissing American pressure on New Delhi to scale back its engagement with Moscow as both ineffective and harmful to the international order. The Russian president made the remarks during an interaction with heads of leading global news agencies including PTI on Thursday. Addressing Western efforts to push India towards distancing itself from Russia, Putin was unequivocal that such tactics have produced no meaningful results. "The US is trying to put pressure on India when it comes to cooperation with Russia on some tracks. But everyone has understood that putting pressure on Narendra Modi (and India) that has the largest population in the world, is detrimental for international relations and for bilateral relations," Putin said. He added that direction of the pressure is immaterial. "It doesn't matter where this pressure comes from. We don't see any negative consequences." "There are no serious repercussions emanating from the state of affairs. We are developing our ties with India and will continue doing that," he said. Putin expressed confidence in India's economic trajectory, linking it directly to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "India is among the world's major economies and is currently demonstrating an impressive rate of economic growth," he said, adding that bilateral trade is on course to breach the $100 billion threshold. Responding to a question from PTI's chief executive and editor-in-chief Vijay Joshi, Putin elaborated: "India is one of the leading economies of the world that has showed the highest rate of economic growth. This is not something that comes out of the blue. This is result of the hardwork that the government of India has been doing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi." Putin indicated that India's deepening relationship with the United States does not unsettle Russia, framing New Delhi's independent foreign policy as a feature rather than a complication. "We are glad that India is developing its relations with all countries it thinks important for its national interests," he said when asked whether India's alignment with Washington generates friction for Moscow. Russia considers India a "reliable partner" and sees no negative consequences from New Delhi's bilateral engagements with other nations, Putin said, adding: "India is a great nation and democracy and Russia will continue to expand its relations with it." On Ukraine, Putin reiterated willingness to pursue a resolution but placed the burden of compromise on Kyiv rather than Moscow. He dismissed European Union nations as viable mediators, arguing that Brussels could contribute to de-escalation by persuading Ukraine to negotiate rather than continuing to arm it. Putin questioned the political standing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose presidential mandate he argued has expired. "Will they hold elections or not? We should ask these questions," he said. On the question of trust, Putin was pointed: "How can Russia trust people who have been harping about the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia for years?" Putin drew a distinction between the two active conflicts, describing Ukraine as a "local" issue and the situation in Iran as a matter of global consequence. He said Russia stands ready to support measures that advance de-escalation in West Asia. Stay updated with the latest Trending, India , World and US news.