During the visit India and Russia are likely to sign S-400 air defense systems deal.

India Prime Minister Modi and Russian President Putin is also expected to review bilateral defense cooperation amid US sanctions. Both the leaders is also likely to discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Russian Information Centre in New Delhi organized a video conference between New Delhi and Moscow on the occasion of Russian President Putin’s visit. The theme of the discussion was “Current State of Affairs of India-Russia Strategic Partnership”.

Former ambassador Asoke Mukherji, Dr Anirban Ganguly, Director of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation and Brigadier (Rtd) Rahul Bhonsle took part.

While from the Moscow Andrey Volodin, Center for Eurasian Studies, Boris Volkhonsky, Professor of the Institute of Asian and African Studies and Professor Alexei Kupriyanov of Department of International Political Problems took part in the discussions.

Speaking on the India-Russia defense ties in views of the US sanctions, Brig (Rtd) Rahul Bhonsle expressed that India have to make fine balance between both the countries to safeguard its national interests.

“We have to leverage our relationship with the US in such a way that the strategic sales which are there from Russia S 400, stealth frigates, helicopters, these issues do not get blocked. I think we will able to manage it by leveraging our foreign policy as well as our economic engagements with the US as well find mechanism to deal with Russia like a triangular mechanism like that,” Rahul Bhonsle said.

Former ambassador Asoke Mukherji stated that besides several areas of engagement between India and Russia now both the countries should strengthen people to people to contact.

 “A sizable percentage of the population of the both the countries are now born after 1990 therefore they are not aware of India-Russia cultural ties and people to people contacts that existed during that period. Therefore now both the governments should boost cultural ties and strengthen the mechanism to boost people to people contacts,” Asoke Mukherji said.