The third India-Russia Inter Governmental Commission (IRIGC) Sub-Working Group (Land) Meeting between Indian and Russian Armies was held in New Delhi on 26-27 June, an Indian Army statement said.
"The talks focused on defence cooperation, military training, military education and joint exercises between the two armies," it saiys.
The IRIGC is an "institutionalised mechanism" at political and official levels between Russia and India, according to an official brief on bilateral relations. The IRIGC has two divisions – Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) and the Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC).
Russia has remained India's top supplier of defence equipment for years, accounting for 36% of overall imports between 2019 and 2023, according to Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The focus of the defence partnership has gradually shifted in the recent past towards co-development and co-production of arms and military hardware under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' policy.
The talks take place just days after Russia approved the draft agreement of a mutual logistics pact between the two nations, which would facilitate tri-service cooperation in areas such as joint combat drills, training, port calls by naval vessels, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations among others.
India has previously inked mutual logistics pacts with other countries, including Australia, Japan, the US, France, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.
Modi's Planned Visit to Moscow
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to undertake a visit to Moscow early next month to co-chair the Annual Summit with President Vladimirn Putin, according to Indian publication The Tribune.
President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed this week that both the countries were "preparing" for Modi's visit.
"I can’t say about the dates yet, because the dates are announced by the parties in agreement. But we are actively preparing. And this visit will happen," Ushakov said this week.
Modi's visit to Moscow would be his first bilateral foreign visit since being sworn-in for a historic third-term this month.
The US, which has been publicly asking countries to tone down its ties to Moscow, has said that it has "concerns" about India-Russia military and technological ties. The US has so far refused to comment on Modi's visit, which takes place after an intergovernmental initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (ICET) meeting chaired by National Security Advisors Jake Sullivan and Ajit Doval this month.
India, much like other BRICS and Global South countries, has refused to vote against Russia at the United Nations (UN) and backed calls for a dialogue between Kiev and Moscow.
In spite of western sanctions, economic ties between India and Russia have intensified, significantly since Ukraine Conflict began in 2022, largely on account of Russian oil exports. Since last year, Russian exports has met 30-40% of India's monthly crude requirements, propelling a bilateral trade to a record of $65 billion last year.
The two countries have also been collaborating closely in non-West multilateral groupings such as BRICS, the United Nations (UN), G20 and Shanghai Cooperation Organisations (SCO), which seek to achieve a multipolar world order.