Russia signed deals on military cooperation with 39 countries in five years – and India could be a main beneficiary

Despite Western claims that the freezing of military contacts with NATO would lead to international isolation, Russia signed deals on military cooperation with 39 countries in five years – and India could be a main beneficiary.
Russia’s Deputy Minister of Defence Alexander Fomin announced recently that cooperation agreements – including for sales of military hardware – have been signed with countries in the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America.
Yet, the agreements in Southeast Asia have the potential to be particularly beneficial to Russia, as they offer fresh opportunities for collaboration with India – a long-time buyer of Soviet and, latterly, Russian military equipment – which may offer training and maintenance services in the region for Russian-made systems.

Taking a dig at the United States in particular, Fomin said countries often prefer to deal with Russia due to its record of not imposing damaging sanctions on its international partners. “The strengthening authority of the [Russian] Armed Forces is confirmed by the increasing number of visits to our country by defense ministers of other countries,” he said.