PM Modi thanks Russia for the assistance provided amid Covid pandemic -

New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held telephonic talks. Prime Minister Modi thanked President Putin for the assistance provided by Russia during this second wave of Coronavirus pandemic. Russia too has developed a vaccine against Coronavirus and the Vaccine is being manufactured in India. This will expedite the vaccination campaign in the country. Against the background of the US refusal to supply the raw materials required for the Vaccine, this Russian cooperation is striking. Although the United States has lifted the embargo, it is once again underlined that there is no alternative to Indian cooperation with Russia.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Russian President Putin for the expeditious assistance provided by Russia during the pandemic crisis. Prime Minister Modi claimed that this assistance is the symbol of the strong partnership between the two countries. Prime Minister Modi said this in his social media post. Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence that the India-Russia partnership for the manufacture of the Sputnik-5 Corona vaccine will benefit the entire humanity in the war against Coronavirus.

India has approved this Russian Vaccine and the Indian company will be manufacturing it on a massive scale. This will accelerate the vaccinations campaign in India. It will also be possible to supply this Vaccine to other countries. Prime Minister Modi and President Putin held talks regarding this cooperation. Prime Minister Modi also praised Russia for the assistance provided for the Indian Gayanyan Project. Russia has trained four Indian astronauts; the training was completed recently.

Prime Minister Modi and President Putin also concurred on starting Two-Plus-Two talks between India and Russia. Defence and Foreign Ministers of both countries will participate in the negotiations. This will accelerate the strategic bilateral cooperation between India and Russia. The India-Russia relations will become more assertive with this. It had been revealed that since the last few months, relations between India and Russia had been strained to a certain extent. Russia expects India not to participate in the US-sponsored anti-China QUAD cooperation. The Indian stand is that Russia should not assist countries like China and Pakistan, ignoring Indian security. But the Indian and Russian leaders have consistently reassured that the India-Russia relations will not be affected despite these differences.

While the Coronavirus pandemic was acquiring dangerous proportions in India, the US President banned the export of raw materials necessary for vaccine production. The United States took this decision to corner India. Strong reactions were received from India, and it was proved once more that the United States could not be trusted. But the US President was forced to withdraw his decision and export the necessary materials to India. Currently, the United States is desperately trying to minimise the damage caused by the previous decision. The cooperation received from Russia only underlines the importance of the friendship between the two countries.