Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly dismissed Indian fears over a growing relationship between Pakistan and the Kremlin as “ridiculous.”
Putin told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that Russia’s ties to Pakistan would have “no impact on trade between India and Russia.”
The Kremlin and India enjoy a “deep cooperation” in areas such as missile technology, pointed out the Russian president, noting that the relationship between the two nations “cannot be diluted.”
The Russian president also spoke about the “deep cooperation” his country enjoys with India in areas such as missile technology, asserting that the relationship between the two countries “cannot be diluted.”
“There is no other country in the world that we have such deep cooperation [with,]” said Putin, adding that the “special relationship” between the two countries cannot preclude the Kremlin’s ties with other “partnering countries.”
Putin refused to support India’s claim that Pakistan is fueling terrorism in the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.
China, its ally Pakistan, and India all have competing claims to Kashmir.
“I believe Pakistan is taking immense steps to stabilize the situation in the country,” said Putin.
The U.S., India, and Afghanistan have accused Pakistan of serving as a sanctuary for jihadists on various occasions.
In October 2016, the then-Russian president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) decided to ignore the intensifying tensions between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan in Kashmir.
The council “is not discussing the issues between India and Pakistan and has no plans to do so,” said the Amb. Vitaly Churkin, the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the U.N. and president of the UNSC during October 2016.
“I don’t want to go there. No one wants to go there,” said Churkin during a news conference at the U.N. headquarters.
“Because I am president of the Security Council [SC]. The SC has not been discussing it,” proclaimed the Russian ambassador.
This year, Russia invited Pakistan to a round of discussions to negotiate peace between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban.
While the Kremlin invited Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and China to participate — it excluded the United States.
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