Kamal Ghorui
India and Russia continue to share a strong bilateral relationship built on trust and mutual respect, with Moscow open to cooperation with all countries willing to engage constructively, Russian Consul General Ivan Fetisov said on Saturday.Speaking to PTI Videos on the sidelines of the International Business Conclave at Advantage Vidarbha 2026 in Nagpur, Fetisov said Russia’s engagement with India remains broad-based across multiple sectors.Responding to a question on India’s expanding ties with the United States, he said Russia respects India’s independent foreign policy choices. “We are open to cooperating with any country that wants to cooperate with Russia. If India wants to cooperate with the US, Kazakhstan or Brazil, it depends only on India.”“So, I think we have a really good relationship based on trust and mutual respect. That is important nowadays,” he said.On the broader trajectory of India-Russia relations, Fetisov referred to the “enthusiasm” seen during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September last year.“I repeat that we have a strong relationship with India. We have a lot of spheres of communication, but we need to do more and more every day. So we have great opportunities to become stronger,” he said.On potential cooperation in nuclear energy, including opportunities arising from India’s opening up of the sector, Fetisov described nuclear power as a key pillar of bilateral engagement and highlighted Russia’s technological capabilities in the segment.“Yes, nuclear energy is a very important sphere of communication and cooperation… Our state corporation Rosatom is famous all over the world. We have excellent projects in SMRs, as you mentioned. What is more important is that we can share our technologies, not just sell or buy them. We can work together in this sphere and gain good results,” he said.Asked about US President Donald Trump’s claim that India has decided to stop buying Russian oil, Fetisov said official Russian government statements should be referred to for clarity.“You need to read the statements of our Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Russian President,” he said.Thanking organisers of the Advantage Vidarbha event, Fetisov said such platforms help deepen cooperation and engagement.“We had a good conversation with the chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis) today. We discussed some infrastructure projects. That is why such events are really important,” he added.
