Shafaqna India: The lower House of Russian Parliament, the State Duma, is set to ratify a military pact enabling the armed forces of India and Russia to seamlessly exchange logistics such as fuel, spares, and access to maintenance facilities, airbases and naval ports.
Just days ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi on December 4–5, the Duma is preparing to ratify the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) with India.The pact would mark a significant milestone in bilateral military cooperation and is expected to feature prominently in the forthcoming 23rd India–Russia leaders’ summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin will hold delegation-level talks in New Delhi.
The RELOS was signed in Moscow in February this year by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar and former Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. It requires formal ratification before implementation.
A logistics arrangement would ease several operational challenges for both countries. Russian warships and aircraft operating in the Indian Ocean would receive seamless supplies of fuel, oil, spares and maintenance support. India and Russia share multiple common military platforms, and for Moscow, the pact expands its ability to diversify maritime deployments and maintain a more sustained presence in the Indian Ocean.
The two nations conduct several joint military exercises annually and the RELOS would ensure smooth maintenance support, particularly during humanitarian missions and disaster relief operations.
