Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that any attempt to undermine India's sovereignty through "threats of sanctions" would "boomerang immediately" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
"India always acts as a sovereign country, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, any potential threats of sanctions would boomerang immediately," Putin said.
The Russian president also said he had been in close contact with Modi for a long time and recalled a period when the Indian leader was barred from entering the United States.
"I know PM Modi will never forget about it," Putin said.
"Now that he is (the) prime minister, all the sanctions have been eliminated, and the relationship between the US and India is developing successfully as far as I understand," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that any attempt to undermine India's sovereignty through "threats of sanctions" would "boomerang immediately" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
Putin made the remarks at the annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday while responding to a question about comments he had made during an interaction with heads of leading global news agencies the previous night.
"India always acts as a sovereign country, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, any potential threats of sanctions would boomerang immediately," Putin said.
The Russian president also said he had been in close contact with Modi for a long time and recalled a period when the Indian leader was barred from entering the United States.
"I know PM Modi will never forget about it," Putin said.
"Now that he is (the) prime minister, all the sanctions have been eliminated, and the relationship between the US and India is developing successfully as far as I understand," he added.
Asked about the possibility of India facing US sanctions if it were to acquire Russian defence systems such as the Su-57 aircraft or the S-500 air defence platform, Putin said, "India is a sovereign country, and it is free to choose those products that they consider to be most up to date and most applicable for them and obviously offering the best price. No matter what people say, India has always been acting in this manner."
"India is always guided by its national interests," he added.
