President Macron hosted PM Modi for talks, aiming to expand India-France strategic partnership. Key outcomes include an innovation roadmap, economic security dialogue, AI governance group, and a goal to double bilateral trade in five years. Defense, civil nuclear cooperation, and talent mobility were also discussed.
Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi met with UK counterpart Keir Starmer in London, praising deepening defence cooperation and calling ties a "near-alliance." Discussions focused on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a joint fighter jet project with Italy, which faces delays and uncertainty following the UK Defence Secretary's resignation and postponed financial contributions.
Chinese experts suggest Beijing might respond to deepening Japan-Philippines defense cooperation with military operations, enhanced electronic warfare, or trade sanctions. A think tank report described the pact as a "quasi-military alliance" that could restrict Chinese naval access to the western Pacific.
Ladakh Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena laid the foundation stone for the first model border village at Chumur, located at 16,700 feet along the India-China border. The project aims to develop infrastructure, generate employment, and integrate civilians and defense forces.
PM Narendra Modi met with Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing to discuss trade, border security, and defense cooperation. Hlaing assured that Myanmar's territory would not be used against India's security interests. Modi reaffirmed India's support for Myanmar's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Labor MP Ed Husic calls for Australia to impose tougher sanctions on Israel, citing mistreatment of activists and aid workers, and potential genocide against Palestinians.
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria awarded PM Modi the Royal Order of the Polar Star. India and Sweden upgraded ties to a strategic partnership, focusing on green transition, tech, trade, and defense.
Japan’s defence minister is touring Southeast Asia this week with what analysts describe as a clear, if diplomatically understated, mission: turning Indonesia and the Philippines into harder targets for Chinese maritime ambition. Shinjiro Koizumi landed in Jakarta on Monday to sign a defence cooperation pact with his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, coming hot on the heels of Tokyo’s landmark decision to lift a decades-old ban on the export of lethal weapons last month. He heads next...
Russia has announced preparations for a five-year military cooperation plan with North Korea covering 2027-2031, potentially accelerating Pyongyang's military modernization. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov stated an agreement was reached with North Korea's defense ministry to place military cooperation on a sustainable long-term footing. Analysts suggest China may be uneasy about the deal, while North Korea's state-run KCNA did not report on the five-year plan, only mentioning discussions about consolidating political and military cooperation.
Israel has reportedly sent its advanced 'Iron Beam' laser defence system and surveillance tech to the UAE to counter Iranian threats, marking a significant defence cooperation step. This deployment, alongside US military sales to regional allies, underscores escalating tensions and a bolstered regional security posture amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
Israel has reportedly sent its advanced 'Iron Beam' laser defence system and surveillance tech to the UAE to counter Iranian threats, marking a significant defence cooperation step. This deployment, alongside US military sales to regional allies, underscores escalating tensions and a bolstered regional security posture amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
India and Russia signed the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) in February 2025, enabling two-way access to airbases and ports for military exercises, training and humanitarian missions. The pact, ratified in December and effective since January, allows up to five warships, 10 aircraft and 3,000 troops to be simultaneously stationed in the partner country for five years, extendable to 10 years. It is expected to strengthen cooperation in servicing India's Russian-origin military equipment and could extend India's strategic reach to the Arctic region.
Pakistan Navy has received its first Chinese-built Hangor-class attack submarine, commissioned at a ceremony in Sanya, China. President Asif Ali Zardari and Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf attended the event, with Zardari describing it as a historic milestone in the Pakistan Navy's modernisation that affirms Islamabad's resolve to maintain a robust and credible defence posture.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in Bishkek. The two leaders discussed regional and global security, including developments in West Asia, amidst ongoing efforts to rebuild ties after the 2020 LAC standoff. Singh also held discussions on bilateral defence cooperation with his Russian counterpart.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed German parliamentarians in Berlin, urging enhanced defence industrial cooperation between the two countries. Singh emphasized that Aatmanirbhar Bharat is an invitation to co-create, co-develop, and co-innovate, highlighting the complementary strengths of India's dynamic start-ups and Germany's established industrial enterprises. During his three-day visit, Singh held talks with German counterpart Boris Pistorius and other senior leaders, underscoring the strategic partnership and shared democratic values binding the two nations.
Indonesia says it is not choosing sides. That is true in diplomacy. It is less true on the map. The “major defence cooperation partnership” announced by Washington and Jakarta on April 13 is written in the safe language of official communiques: capacity building, education, exercises, cooperation. But the harder meaning lies beneath the phrasing. The most important line in this new defence partnership is not the reassuring one about “peace and stability”. It is the one about “maritime,...
