'Dear Friends' PM Modi, Putin Say "Walk Together In Fight Against Terror"

India and Russia 'stand shoulder-to-shoulder and walk together in the fight against terrorism', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday afternoon in a joint statement with "my dear friend" Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on his first State visit to the country in four years.

"Whether it is the terrorist attack in Pahalgam (26 people were killed by the Jaish-e-Mohammed in April) or the cowardly assault on the Crocus City Hall (149 people were killed by an Islamic State-Khorasan attack on a Moscow concert hall in March 2024)...” the root of all these incidents is the same," he said.

"India's unwavering belief is that any terrorist attack is a direct assault on the values of humanity... and that global unity against it is our greatest strength," the Prime Minister said firmly.

Moscow has been a strong supporter of India's efforts to combat terrorism and responded strongly after Pakistan-based terror group Jaish was linked to the Pahalgam attack. It said it "stands in solidarity with India for elimination of terrorism in all its forms". Russia had also backed India over Operation Sindoor - a military response that targeted terrorist bases in Pak and parts of Kashmir illegally occupied by it.

"Over the past eight decades, the world has witnessed ups and downs," the PM said, "Humanity has had to pass through many challenges and crises. Amidst all this, the India-Russia friendship has remained steadfast... These relations, rooted in mutual respect and trust, have stood the test of time."

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The Modi-Putin statement, delivered from Delhi's Hyderabad House, also encompassed announcements on trade and economic cooperation, including an MoU for the shipping sector.

But arguably the significant point was Putin re-affirming Russia's willingness to continue "uninterrupted shipments" of fuel to India, even as Delhi faces pressure from the US to stop buying Russian oil.

PM Modi thanked Putin for his "commitment to India", and said "energy security has been a strong and important pillar of the India-Russia partnership". But, in signs he is walking a tightrope between Russia and the US, he made no specific reference to oil and, instead, spoke on nuclear and clean energy.

"Energy security has been a strong and important pillar of the India-Russia partnership. Our decades-old cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy has been crucial in giving meaning to our shared priorities for clean energy. We will continue this win-win cooperation," he said.

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He also spoke about economic cooperation and a free trade agreement as officials from the two countries exchanged a raft of agreements spanning jobs, health, shipping, and chemicals.

Putin said, "We are looking at increasing annual bilateral trade to USD 100 billion."

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Also, in a remark that will raise eyebrows in the West, particularly amid speculation the two countries (as part of the BRICS bloc) could promote a global alternative to the US dollar, Putin said, "India, Russia are moving towards use of national currencies for bilateral payments."

Russia's war on Ukraine - which has raged since February 2022 with no apparent end in sight, despite United States President Donald Trump's 'interventions' - was also discussed.

Putin thanked the Prime Minister for his efforts to resolve the war, and said he had a 'very informative and useful conversation' following his arrival in Delhi Thursday evening.

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The Russian leader said he had shared details for a plan for a peaceful resolution of the war with the Prime Minister, who reconfirmed India's position as a 'champion of peace'.

PM Modi also underlined India-Russia cooperation in the energy sector, and said the two countries would continue this trend while expanding to areas like critical minerals.

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