Putin Says India-US Cooperation Won't Harm Ties, Sukhoi Su-57
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said sukhoi su-57 India’s cooperation with the US won't harm India-Russia relations on Friday, June 5, putting a direct line under a relationship that has faced repeated scrutiny as India deepens ties with Washington. Donald Trump said the same day that he has a "good relationship" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The comments landed alongside fresh Indian economic numbers: GDP rose 7.8% in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, while the Reserve Bank of India lowered its forecast for 2026-27 to 6.6% from 6.9% in April. Sanjay Malhotra said the outlook faces pressure from "Prolonged global supply-chain disruptions, heightened volatility in global financial markets, and weather-related shocks continue to pose downside risks to the domestic growth outlook".
Putin and Trump on Modi
Putin’s line on India-US cooperation was the core foreign-policy message of the day. He said India’s engagement with the United States would not damage India-Russia relations, while Trump’s parallel remark about Modi signaled that Washington is still emphasizing personal ties with New Delhi.
For India, the pairing matters because the two statements came on the same day but pointed in different directions: Moscow was trying to reassure, and Washington was trying to keep the channel with Modi visibly open. The diplomatic value is in the overlap, not in a formal meeting or agreement.
India’s growth and the RBI
India’s economy added a separate pressure point. GDP rose 7.8% in the January-March quarter, but the Reserve Bank of India reduced its 2026-27 growth forecast to 6.6% from 6.9% in April. Malhotra’s warning linked that downgrade to external supply-chain strain, volatile markets, and weather-related shocks.
The revision gives policymakers and businesses a more cautious near-term frame than the quarterly growth figure alone. A strong quarter does not erase the central bank’s downward move, which suggests officials see slower momentum ahead even after the latest expansion figure.
K Annamalai exits BJP
The day also brought a domestic political shift: K Annamalai formally exited the Bharatiya Janata Party after his resignation was accepted on Friday. The former Tamil Nadu state unit president’s departure adds another change point inside a party that is already managing multiple national and state-level priorities.
For readers tracking India’s political and economic signals together, the immediate takeaway is that New Delhi is moving on several fronts at once. The next concrete development in this foreign-policy thread is how India, Russia, and the United States continue to frame their relationships after Putin’s remarks and Trump’s praise for Modi.
