Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Russian Counterpart Meet in Qingdao for Stronger Defence Ties

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in Qingdao. 

This marked a key moment in India-Russia military diplomacy as Singh described the interaction as “insightful”. He noted the discussions were focused on deepening the long-standing defence partnership between the two nations.

Image Source: Raksha Mantri

The meeting comes at a time when the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is looking to recalibrate regional security architecture in the face of rising terrorism, geopolitical tensions, and strategic uncertainty. 

India, while reaffirming its commitment to the SCO’s objectives, has firmly resisted attempts to dilute its core interests, particularly on counterterrorism.

At the Qingdao summit, Singh refused to endorse the joint communiqué after members failed to reach consensus on unambiguous condemnation of terrorism. 

This decision is seen as consistent with India’s previous independent stance, including rejection of Chinese-led initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative and the BRICS currency basket proposal.

Russia remains a critical strategic partner for India, particularly in defence cooperation, with bilateral engagements ranging from co-development of military platforms to supply of key hardware like the S-400 missile system. 

The Singh-Belousov meeting reaffirmed the intent to keep defence ties robust despite global realignments.

The Qingdao visit also follows a significant parliamentary outreach to Russia earlier this week. Senior Indian MP and External Affairs Standing Committee Chair Shashi Tharoor visited Moscow, where he engaged with top Russian lawmakers including Leonid Slutsky. 

The discussions spanned BRICS coordination, Middle East tensions, and parliamentary-level defence cooperation.

As SCO pushes to redefine regional security frameworks, India’s twin-track diplomacy — engaging key partners like Russia while maintaining autonomy in multilateral decisions — appears firmly on course.