More S-400s for India? Russia exploring additional supplies; calls it 'opportunity to expand cooperation'

Moscow and New Delhi are exploring the possibility of expanding supplies of Russian S-400 missile systems to India, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported, citing a senior Kremlin official.

“India already has our S-400 system. There is an opportunity to expand cooperation in this sector as well. It means new supplies. So far, we are negotiating this,” said Dmitry Shugayev, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.

Shugayev added that the supply of Sukhoi-57 fighter jets is another area of defence cooperation between the two countries.

His remarks come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, on Monday. The two leaders’ joint arrival at the venue in Putin’s car was viewed as a signal to US President Donald Trump, who recently imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. Half of those tariffs, which took effect on August 27, target India over its continued purchase of Russian oil, despite the Ukraine war.

In October 2018, India signed a $5.4 billion agreement with Russia to procure the S-400 Triumf - a long-range surface-to-air missile system.

The S-400 systems, along with India’s indigenous air defence network, played a pivotal role during the India–Pakistan conflict in May by intercepting and neutralising missiles and drones launched from across the border.

Also Read | S-400 was a game-changer in Indo-Pak face-off: IAF

Meanwhile, the BrahMos — a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia — was deployed by the Indian Air Force to strike multiple Pakistani airbases. The precision strikes forced Islamabad to seek a ceasefire, which was subsequently accepted.