NEW DELHI, June 9. /TASS/. Displeasure expressed by the United States over Russia and India’s military-technical cooperation will not hamper the development of interaction between Moscow and New Delhi in this sphere, Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said, replying to a question by TASS.
Earlier, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said that India’s defense procurement purchases from Russia "rubbed the United States the wrong way" with Washington viewing Russian-Indian interaction in the military-technical sphere as "a way to kind of get under the skin of America."
"Let me say that such verbal attacks will not result in anything specific. This is a vivid example of dishonest, unfair competition. It is known that we are in the lead on the Indian arms market with our relations having shaped in this sphere long time ago and being pretty self-sufficient. Pressure which Minister Lutnick attempted to apply recently will not affect our relations in general and in the military-technical sphere in particular," the envoy said.
The diplomat noted that the Indian side had given high marks to the effectiveness of Russian S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft missile systems in service with the Indian armed forces and jointly produced BrahMos cruise missiles used during the counterterrorist Operation Sindoor. "It appears to me that this experience, and not some calls by the US, will be taken into account by the Indian side to a greater extent and will facilitate the strengthening and expansion of our defense cooperation," Alipov added.
