MOSCOW, Sept 17: Indian troops joined Russia’s Zapad-2025 military drills this week, underscoring Moscow’s continuing defense ties with New Delhi despite recent trade frictions with Washington, Al Jazeera reported.
According to the Russian state agency TASS, India sent 65 personnel from the Kumaon Regiment to the five-day exercise, which involved more than 100,000 troops from Russia and Belarus and featured nuclear-capable bombers, warships, and large-scale firepower simulations designed to test combat readiness.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in military attire, oversaw the concluding phase of the drills, which were held amid rising tensions with NATO, coming days after Russian drones were downed in Poland. Al Jazeera noted that Iran, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali also deployed contingents, signaling broader participation from Moscow’s partners.
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Analysts said that India’s involvement is likely to raise eyebrows in Washington, where ties have been strained since the Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods, accusing New Delhi of indirectly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine through oil purchases, according to the Doha-based news channel.
Trump later claimed on social media that India and Russia had drifted toward China following their participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Despite the tensions, Al Jazeera said, recent statements suggest the two countries are trying to mend ties. Trump announced that negotiations were underway to ease trade barriers, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded by calling the US a “natural partner” and expressing confidence that talks would unlock new opportunities for cooperation. Modi also thanked Trump for his 75th birthday greetings and said he remained committed to deepening the India-US partnership.
India’s military cooperation with Russia is not new. In 2021, New Delhi sent troops to Russia’s Volgograd region for counter-terrorism exercises, and historically, it has relied heavily on Soviet and Russian weapons. While India has been diversifying its defense procurement in recent years, Moscow remains its largest arms supplier, Al Jazeera added.
The network also highlighted Iran’s participation in Zapad-2025, which comes as Tehran and Moscow expand their strategic partnership. Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones and, reportedly, ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine. Earlier this year, both countries signed a strategic treaty and staged joint drills in the Caspian Sea following a brief war triggered by Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets, in which the US also intervened, according to Al Jazeera.
