Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth Holds Defence Talks with Russian Deputy Minister in Moscow

Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth held a series of high-level meetings in Moscow during his ongoing official visit to Russia, with discussions centred on defence cooperation, joint capability development and professional military exchanges between the two countries.

General Seth visited the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and met General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Deputy Minister of Defence, in talks that covered areas of mutual interest and ways to deepen military-to-military engagement between India and Russia.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of a longstanding defence relationship that has traditionally included equipment cooperation, training, professional exchanges and institutional engagement. Those broad strands remain central to the way India and Russia have sustained military ties over the years.

According to the source material, joint capability development was one of the key themes of the discussion with the Russian Deputy Defence Minister. Such cooperation allows both sides to explore shared interests and identify areas where greater collaboration could help strengthen their respective defence capabilities.

Professional military exchanges were another important part of the conversation. These exchanges, involving personnel and institutions from both armed forces, are typically used to share operational experience, build professional understanding and expose officers to different military practices and organisational structures.

The two sides also discussed ways to enhance military-to-military engagement, reflecting an emphasis on maintaining regular contact between the defence establishments of India and Russia. In the source article, this was presented as an effort to keep institutional channels active and to identify fresh opportunities for cooperation.

During the visit, General Seth also called on Shri Vinay Kumar, India’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation. Their discussions focused on India-Russia bilateral cooperation and on measures that could further strengthen defence ties between the two countries.

The meeting with the ambassador added a diplomatic dimension to the Army Chief’s engagements in Moscow. Together with the interaction at the Russian Defence Ministry, it showed that the visit was not limited to military dialogue alone but also touched on the wider political and strategic framework supporting the bilateral relationship.

General Seth’s conversations in Russia therefore covered both the military and diplomatic sides of India-Russia relations. While the meeting with General Yevkurov concentrated on operational cooperation, capability development and professional exchanges, the discussion with Ambassador Kumar addressed the broader bilateral setting and the need to strengthen defence cooperation further.

The source article said the visit highlights the continuing importance of senior-level engagement in sustaining institutional ties between the Indian and Russian defence establishments. It also underlined the role of dialogue in keeping cooperation active across multiple fronts, from training and exchanges to capability-related collaboration.

By meeting both the Russian Deputy Defence Minister and India’s ambassador in Moscow, General Seth’s visit has brought together the military and diplomatic strands of India’s relationship with Russia. The engagements, as described in the source, are aimed at preserving close defence ties while exploring further avenues for professional and military cooperation.