ISTANBUL

Russia and India discussed the supply of remaining batteries of the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air defense system to New Delhi, as well as an upgrade to Su-30 jets, an official statement said on Friday.

This was discussed during a meeting between Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in China on Thursday.

“Supply of S-400 systems, Su-30 MKI upgrades, and procurement of critical military hardware in expeditious timeframes were some of the key takeaways of the meeting,” said the statement by the Indian Defense Ministry.

Belousov and Singh were in eastern China’s Qingdao city to attend the annual meeting of the SCO defense chiefs.

India is a major destination for Russian defense equipment and has also procured the S-400 air defense system from Moscow after signing a $5.43-billion deal in 2018 for five squadrons of the air-to-surface missile system.

While Russia first began delivering the initial three squadrons in December 2021, the last two, which include 118 missiles each, are yet to be delivered.

India has deployed the first three S-400 squadrons along its borders with Pakistan and China, and Moscow has reportedly assured New Delhi it will deliver the remaining two by 2027.

India has been using Russian-made Su-30 jets since their procurement in 1996.

The ministry statement dubbed the meeting between Belousov and Singh as “one of the most important … being held in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and the consequent necessity of augmenting defense production, especially in critical items such as air defense, air-to-air missiles, modern capabilities, and upgrades of air platforms.”

India launched the operation against Pakistan last month.

Islamabad retaliated to Indian attacks under Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos, or "Iron Wall,” in hostilities triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam attack by unidentified gunmen in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

- ‘Bring back semblance of normalcy in the bilateral relations’

Singh also held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Adm. Dong Jun during which he stressed on a "permanent solution of border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanism on the issue."

While acknowledging work being undertaken to “bring back a semblance of normalcy in the bilateral relations,” Singh, however, highlighted the “necessity of solving the complex issues through a structured roadmap of permanent engagement and de-escalation.”

Singh called for “bridging the trust deficit created” after the 2020 border standoff, by “taking action on the ground.”