West sanctions won't affect India-Russia defence partnership: BrahMos chief

India-Russia defence partnership will "never" be disrupted by the Western sanctions on Moscow, BrahMos Aerospace chief said on Wednesday, saying it's the "trust" that makes this partnership work

Brahmos
Brahmos missile (File photo: PTI)
Press Trust of India Moscow/New Delhi
2 min read Last Updated : Feb 08 2023 | 10:33 PM IST

The India-Russia defence partnership will "never" be disrupted by the Western sanctions on Moscow, BrahMos Aerospace chief said on Wednesday, saying it's the "trust" that makes this partnership work.

The West, led by the US, has imposed crippling sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India and Russia that specialises in nuclear-capable supersonic missiles.

The company currently manufactures the BrahMos missile and is currently developing the BrahMos II, a hypersonic cruise missile.

The West's attempts will not stop the Russia-India defence partnership, nor will it impact the company's operations, BrahMos Aerospace Indo-Russian Joint Venture Managing Director and CEO Atul Dinkar Rane told TASS, the official news agency of Russia. "My personal gut feeling it is never!" Rane said when asked whether Western countries could halt India-Russia defence and security cooperation.

"And if someone tries, he will only fail. The relationship between the Indian scientists and Russian technologists is so deep right now that it's not going to be possible to break it. Even if someone tells us by law no more talking with Russia, you will start talking to someone else but we'll always say it was easier to work with the Russians," Tass quoted him as saying.

Rane asserted it is the trust between India and Russia that will help this partnership work despite sanctions from the West.

"The trust which we have developed between the two partners, that trust is good enough for us to work, and we are working forward -- despite all these sanctions," Rane said.

Russia has traditionally been India's main arms supplier.

Unlike many other leading Western powers, India has not directly criticised Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and it abstained from a vote at the UN platforms in condemning the Russian aggression.

India has been pressing for the resolution of the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue.

Rane also said that many foreign countries express their interest in purchasing various versions of the BrahMos cruise missile.

The Philippines is the first order that we got, Rane said, adding that five countries have currently placed their orders.

So far, I can say that they are from South East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

He added that BrahMos Aerospace plans to start shipping missiles to the Philippines in the middle or the second half of this year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :India-Russia tiesUS sanctions

First Published: Feb 08 2023 | 10:33 PM IST

Next Story