9.3 India–Russia Relations · Part 2

with the USA and Europe. India now had to deal with a Russia which did not have an interest nor the resources for developing its ties with other nations. During his visit to New Delhi in , the Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a new Treaty of Friendship which was an effort to rekindle the spirit in which the Treaty was signed. However, the fundamental character of the Treaty was transformed as the new Treaty just called for regular consultation and coordination in case of any threat to peace. Unlike in the Soviet era, Yeltsin described India as a ‘natural partner’ but he did not give the impression of a ‘special relationship’. Though the relationship continued between the two countries in the early 1990s, the ‘benign neglect’ of India by Russia in this period was evident. Joseph Stalin Vladimir Putin Boris -Yeltsin India and Russia have formally inked the $ . billion deal for S- system in the year .The air defence system is expected to be delivered by the year . Triumf is an advanced surface- to-air missile system, developed by Russia’s state-owned company Almaz-Antey, and can shoot down hostile aircraft and ballistic missiles. It has an estimated range of kilometres and a possible upgrade is speculated to extend it to kilometres.