Is Russia Still Attractive for India?

摘要

We should remember that the high level of trust that was built between India and Russia over more than 60 years means that while Moscow's dominance in the Indian defence market is not likely to be challenged in the foreseeable future, it is nevertheless likely to decline as India continues its strategy of diversifying its suppliers. India learned that keeping all of its eggs in the Russian basket is no longer a safe bet. The first damage to Russian-Indian defence industrial relations happened via the longer than expected conversion of the INS VIKRAMADITYA (formerly ADMIRAL GORSHKOV) aircraft carrier that in addition to time also triple its cost from U$600 million to more than $2 billion. Nevertheless, this deal cannot be described as the final straw in Indian-Russian defence industrial relations but rather as road section on the Indian-Russian highway.