Top Indian arms makers held rare meetings in Russia on potential joint ventures, says report

At least half a dozen executives from top Indian arms makers, including Adani Defence and Bharat Forge, attended rare meetings in Russia this year to discuss potential joint ventures, three people familiar with the matter said.

The meetings took place during the first visit of India’s defence business leaders to Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The visit by the defence business leaders had not previously been reported. The ‌Indian ‌government is seeking to reorient its decades-old defence ties with Russia to focus on joint development of weapons.

Any potential collaboration with Russia risks setting back plans by Indian defence firms to jointly develop Western arms as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‍push to make India, one of the world’s biggest arms importers, a g