India stands by Zapad-2025 military drills amid EU's Russia concerns
India is sticking by its decision to join the Zapad-2025 military exercises in Russia, even after the European Union raised concerns.
The Ministry of External Affairs pointed out that countries like the US, Turkey, and Hungary—who are part of NATO—also attended as observers.
This response came after EU official Kaja Kallas questioned India's military ties with Russia during the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
India-Russia ties vs Europe's oil dependency
From September 10 to 16, a team of 65 Indian personnel from the army, air force, and navy took part in Zapad-2025, led by the Kumaon Regiment.
The goal was to boost cooperation and share strategies on conventional warfare and counter-terrorism.
Meanwhile, even though India imports oil from Russia, Europe still buys a lot of petroleum products from India—showing how interconnected these relationships are despite political tensions.
The EU has warned that closer India-Russia defense ties could complicate future relations with Europe.