NEW DELHI: Russia and India are exploring an upgrade of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to add new capabilities, improve its effectiveness and make it more competitive in international markets, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. “We are jointly producing the BrahMos missiles, and it is time to think about improving those missiles, adding some additional characteristics, making them more competitive in the market and more effective,” Peskov said during a virtual briefing with Indian journalists. His comments came ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India, with Peskov confirming that Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet in New Delhi on Friday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. The meeting will be their second bilateral engagement in a month and is expected to cover defence, energy, technology, trade and investment ties.
BrahMos upgrade, S-400 and Su-57 on agenda
Peskov said Russia remains committed to completing deliveries of the S-400 air defence systems to India and is also discussing the possible supply of its Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets. He said Moscow is willing to share technology with India, including technology related to the Su-57, as the two countries seek to deepen defence cooperation beyond a traditional buyer-seller relationship. Russia remains one of India's major defence suppliers, although New Delhi has increasingly diversified its procurement towards countries including the US, France and Israel. Russia accounted for about 40% of India's major arms imports between 2021 and 2025, down from 51% in the previous five-year period, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. India operates hundreds of Russian-made fighter aircraft and several S-400 systems. The air defence system was used during the four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025. India is also in the process of procuring a new batch of fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The Rafale, F-21, F/A-18 and Eurofighter Typhoon are among the aircraft being considered, while Russia is pitching the Su-57.
Russia backs India's Ukraine peace efforts
Peskov said Moscow would welcome India's efforts to contribute to ending the war in Ukraine, saying Russia's position broadly aligns with New Delhi's call for a resolution through dialogue and diplomacy. “We know the position of India on the Ukrainian conflict, and to a great extent, it corresponds with our own position because we do want the solution to the Ukraine conflict by peaceful means, and Russia is open for this process,” Peskov said. He added that Putin understands India's position on the conflict and is expected to brief Modi on the situation during their meeting. “We welcome the willingness of the Indian side to contribute. We also welcome the efforts of American President (Donald) Trump,” Peskov said. Modi had met Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek last week, where he called for an immediate end to the conflict and urged the Russian leader to move from "endless war towards end of war." External affairs minister S Jaishankar later travelled to Kyiv and said India was ready to contribute whatever it could to efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.
