Why India escaped Trump’s wrath on its defence ties with Russia
India’s import of Russian weapons fell from 76 per cent in 2009-13 to 36 per cent in 2019-23; during 2019-2023, France and US emerged as second and third suppliers at 29 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively
If US President Donald Trump specifically named India’s continued import of Russian oil for the additional 25 per cent tariff and skipped its continued weapon imports from Russia, he had good reasons. In recent years, India has reduced its dependence on Russia and diversified to acquiring its weapons from Western countries like the US, France and Israel. It has also stepped up domestic defence production to fill the gap.
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Nonetheless, India’s defence ties with Russia have been reaffirmed during Friday’s (August 8) telephonic talk between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among other things, the Prime Minister said in a post on X soon after: “We…reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”. He also wrote that he was looking forward to hosting Putin later this year.
This is a firm statement of continuation of India-Russia strategic ties, including both in oil and weapons. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was in Moscow a few days earlier and is believed to have discussed acquiring two more squadrons of long-range surface-to-air missile system S-400 that was effectively deployed during the Operation Sindoor, and initiated dialogue for Su-57 fighter jets. India had earlier acquired Russian Su-30 jets.
A March 2024 report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says, Russia has been India’s main weapon supplier for decades but its share is falling – from 76 per cent in 2009-13 to 58 per cent in 2014-18 and to 36 per cent in 2019-23.
Russia has been a reliable strategic ally for decades, playing a significant role in India’s space technology, missile systems and nuclear energy. Immediately after Trump’s additional tariff on India, it publicly backed India’s right to choose its trading partners, saying: “Sovereign countries have the right to choose their own trading partners.”
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Now that Trump and Putin will be meeting in Alaska on August 15, to discuss the Ukraine peace deal, it has generated optimism in India that a successful conclusion of their dialogue may lead to Trump dialling down tariffs on India.
France, US and Israel emerge as new weapon suppliers
A March 2024 report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says, Russia has been India’s main weapon supplier for decades but its share is falling – from 76 per cent in 2009-13 to 58 per cent in 2014-18 and to 36 per cent in 2019-23.
It explains that this is because “India has instead looked to Western suppliers, most notably France and the USA, and its own arms industry to meet its demand for major arms. This shift is also visible in India’s new orders, many of which are placed with Western suppliers, and its arms procurement plans, which seemingly do not include any Russian options.”
The SIPRI’s data shows, during 2019-23, France and the US emerged as the second and third largest weapon suppliers to India with a share of 29 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.
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India’s most recent acquisition from France is Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Defence journal Janes says, India has now signed an agreement to buy 26 more Rafale jets for the Indian Navy and 22 Rafale M single-seat and four twin-seat trainer aircraft.
As for the weapon supply from the US, Yusuf Unjawala, adjunct scholar at the Takshashila Institute, wrote in his 2023 paper “The Making of an India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership” that since 2008, India’s weapon imports from the US went up from zero to over $20 billion.
“Today”, he wrote, “US defence companies are forming joint ventures with Indian firms and integrating other enterprises into their global supply chain, accounting for 35 per cent of India’s total defence exports”. The world’s top three defence companies, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Raytheon, have subsidiaries and joint ventures in India. The US defence companies are not only sourcing from India, they are also investing in R&D, skills development and training centres, reflected in defence exports from India, 35 per cent of which go to the US, the report said.
It further said, the US is now helping India in developing indigenous weapon platforms like aircraft carriers, fighter jets, light helicopters, air defence systems, main battle tanks, armoured carriers, cruise missiles, howitzers, multiple launch-rocket systems, rifles, various types of missiles and munitions; and electronic systems such as radar, communications, and intelligence equipment.
India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched updated procurement rules aimed at providing further support for localised private-sector research, development and manufacturing in the defence sector.
Israel has emerged as a big weapons supplier too. The SIPRI data, mentioned earlier, shows, during 2019-2023, India emerged as the top buyer of Israel’s weapons, accounting for 37 per cent of Israel's total weapon exports. The Philippines (12 per cent) and the US (8.7 per cent) were the other two big buyers.
The Diplomat writes, India has acquired Israeli drones, including Heron UAV, specially adapted for surveillance in mountainous regions, is using Israeli Tavor rifles since 2008 and used Spice-2000 guidance technology in airstrikes on Pakistan after the 2019 Pulwama attack. India not only inducted its surface-to-air Barak missile system but is now adding next-generation Barak-8 to its armoury.
Domestic defence production going up
The SIPRI report mentioned how India’s dependence on Russia is reducing, also because it is now looking more at its own arms industry to meet the demand. It doesn’t provide any data. Janes’ July 2024 report says, the value of India’s domestic defence production went up by more than 70 per cent between FY17 and FY24.
India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched updated procurement rules aimed at providing further support for localised private-sector research, development and manufacturing in the defence sector. Last year, the MoD introduced several new mechanisms and requirements for companies bidding to supply defence equipment to the Indian military, which provide additional support and guidelines to support new and small defence businesses.
