India's defense minister says the country will always support Russian Federation

India has always supported Russia and plans to continue to do so. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said this at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 10.

"The friendship between our countries is higher than the highest mountain and deeper than the deepest ocean. India has always supported its Russian friends and will continue to do so in the future," the minister said, his words quoted in a press release by the Indian ministry on its website.

India's defense chief and the Russian leader discussed bilateral defense cooperation at the meeting. Putin and Singh pointed to the huge potential of the two countries' partnership. The joint efforts of Moscow and New Delhi, the Indian ministry said, will pave the way for notable cooperation results in the future.

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov attended the meeting between Putin and Singh, who is in Russia on an official visit.

On the same day, Singh revealed that India has decided to develop cooperation with Russia despite geopolitical challenges and immense public and private pressure. The minister believes that cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi has demonstrated its sustainability and is being strengthened both on the bilateral track and within the framework of international organizations.

Belousov, for his part, then pointed out that the partnership between Russia and India is constantly and successfully developing in multilateral formats. The head of the Russian Defense Ministry emphasized that the main role in strengthening cooperation between the two countries is played by the trusting relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.