Moscow, Delhi sign deal to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles in India
The AK-202 and AK-203 rifles are displayed during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, 2019. PHOTO: AFP
Moscow and New Delhi signed a deal on Monday that will see India produce more than 600,000 AK-203 assault rifles, Russian weapons maker Kalashnikov said.
The deal was struck during President Vladimir Putin's visit to India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Putin travelled to India with Russia's defence and foreign ministers in a visit that saw the two countries reinforce their ties with a military and technical cooperation pact until 2031 and a pledge to boost annual trade to $30 billion by 2025.
Also read: India, Russia strike trade, arms deals during Putin visit
The Russian president is visiting India amid increasingly strained relations between Russia and the United States, also a key Indian ally, which has expressed reservations about the growing military cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi.
A joint statement published after the talks said Russia and India had "reiterated their intention to strengthen defence cooperation, including in the joint development of production of military equipment."