Kremlin to pitch fighters, nuclear deal in India

Reuters-UK ^ | Dec 19, 2010 | Alexei Anishchuk

[sukhoi-30mki]

Kremlin to pitch fighters, nuclear deal in India

Sun, Dec 19 2010

By Alexei Anishchuk

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev will try to convince India to buy Russian fighter planes and seal a nuclear deal when he travels there this week for talks aimed at boosting ties with the second-fastest growing economy the world.

Russia was one of India's closest partners in Soviet days, but the Kremlin will have to convince New Delhi that Moscow can deliver on vast defense and nuclear orders in the face of competition from the United States, Europe and China.

Medvedev, who the Kremlin said will come with a large delegation of business leaders, is to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Prathibha Patil on Tuesday and visit Mumbai on Wednesday.

"Russian-Indian relations have moved to a completely new level which can be called a favored strategic partnership," a Kremlin official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

But behind the rhetoric of expanding ties with its fellow BRIC economy -- the term used to group emerging powers Brazil, Russia, India and China -- bilateral trade is dwarfed by Russia's booming economic ties with the European Union and China.

The Kremlin said trade with India will total $10 billion this year while official statistics show Russia's trade with the European Union stood at $246 billion in the first 10 months of 2010, and trade with China was $47.5 billion in the same period.

India, watching neighboring China's rapid strides in defense, wants to overhaul its mostly Russian-supplied air force and Moscow will lobby hard for India to select the Russian-made MiG-35 for an $11 billion contract for 126 fighter jets.

[sukhoi-30mki]

Mig-35 prototype

[EagleUSA]

At least Russia has proactive leadership....we do not.

Nice job libs.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

The Mig-35 is a non-starter, the Russians have some balls pushing it when they already are going to get far far more from India with FGFA. That alone shoots it down, let alone a plethora of other reasons, chief of which Russia isn’t even buying the plane for itself.