‘Russia blasts Germany for meddling in India’s arms deals’

Russia has accused Germany of trying to impose its will on India and interfere with its sovereign right to buy weapons from Moscow.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the recent comments by the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius “neocolonialism” and reminded him of India’s history of resisting British domination.

Pistorius, who became the defense minister in January 2023, said that India should reduce its “dependence” on Russian arms and that Berlin was ready to supply submarines to New Delhi.

She also said that India could join a global coalition of “reliable partners” to “protect the rules-based order.”

Zakharova said that India was a free country and did not need anyone’s permission to make decisions.

She also said that Russia had long-standing ties with India and that their cooperation was based on mutual respect and trust.