Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was re-elected and secured a fifth term in office yesterday. Modi hailed the “special and privileged” relationship between the two BRICS nations.
With all ballots counted by Monday morning, Putin had won 87% of the vote, with voter turnout at an unprecedented 77%.
“Warm congratulations to [His Excellency] Mr. Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation,” Modi wrote on X on Monday. “Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come.”
Moscow and New Delhi developed a close relationship during the Cold War. This persisted after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with both sides describing it as a “special and privileged strategic partnership.” Russia supplies more than a third of India’s weapons and a third of its crude oil, while the overall volume of trade between the two countries is at an “all-time high,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced in December.
India refused to impose sanctions on Russia in response to the Ukraine conflict, despite pressure from its Western powers. Senior diplomats in New Delhi have vehemently defended the country’s “pragmatic” decision and cited historical ties as a key reason for maintaining close trade and diplomatic relations with Moscow.
Following his electoral victory, Putin has also received messages of congratulations from Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a host of other leaders from post-Soviet republics, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
No NATO or EU leaders have congratulated the Russian president. Writing on Telegram on Sunday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the West’s antagonism toward Russia had helped unify the country and aided Putin in securing a landslide victory.