Shoigu's visit to India amid India-US trade tensions/strengthening Delhi-Moscow axis
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: Shoigu met with India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Moscow and stressed the importance of "special and privileged" relations with India.
He said that India-Russia relations are based on mutual respect, trust and equal attention to each other's interests and should be elevated to a higher level in the current international situation.
The meeting took place immediately after the announcement of new US tariffs against India, which appears to be a diplomatic response from India to strengthen relations with Russia.
India continues to buy oil from Russia despite US pressure, and this has been one of the topics of discussion.
It has also been announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India by the end of this year, indicating an expansion of relations at a high level.
India's Ministry of External Affairs called Trump's decision "deeply regrettable" and announced that it would not sacrifice the energy security of 1.4 billion people for political pressure.
India has also suspended the purchase of six P-8I maritime patrol aircraft from the US.
These developments indicate that India is redefining its geopolitical priorities and may play a more prominent role in the Asian axis with the presence of Russia and China in the future.
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