India-Russia seal major defence deal allowing exchange of troops, vessels and logistical support for joint operations

Ratification by the lower house of Russian Parliament of the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement, a key defence-logistics pact with India(BHARAT), has set the stage for the meeting between India(BHARAT)n Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on December 4–5.

Signed in February 2025, the pact between the two countries, popularly known by its acronym RELOS, had been pending approval by the lower house of the Russian Parliament.

Boost to Strategic Ties

The ratification of RELOS, a day before Putin embarks on his New Delhi visit, is set to give a fresh impetus to the existing broad-based strategic partnership between India(BHARAT) and Russia, which has withstood global geopolitical shifts and realignments.

Scope of RELOS

Under the RELOS, the armed forces of India(BHARAT) and Russia can use the military facilities of each other for replenishment of supplies including refuelling, maintenance, and servicing of aircraft and naval vessels.

Analysts said the agreement would reduce turnaround time, improve operational preparedness, and help seamless coordination of joint military exercises, humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) operations and other cooperative activities.

In particular, the agreement provides for its provisions to be applied in relation to remote theatres of operation – allowing the two militaries to potentially hold joint drills or enable logistics support in regions such as the Arctic which have gained geo-strategic significance for both countries.

A Logistics Pact in Strategic Context

Timing of the RELOS ratification by the Russian Duma – a day before Putin’s New Delhi trip – cannot be seen as a coincidence and is symbolic of the desire on both sides to take the military-to-military cooperation to a new level at a time of evolving global geopolitics.

For India(BHARAT), the RELOS adds another dimension to a defence relationship which spans decades and already includes the purchase of state-of-the-art air-defence systems such as the S-400 missile systems and procurement of Russian naval vessels.

For Russia, the pact helps secure a footprint in the India(BHARAT)n Ocean region and other strategic areas, with its military able to access ports and facilities in India(BHARAT).

Experts believe the logistics agreement may be the precursor to future possibilities of ambitious cooperation such as expedited delivery of existing contracts or platform upgrades, faster acquisition of new systems, increased joint naval deployments and more integrated planning.

Agenda Ahead of Summit

During the upcoming summit, which is expected to have discussions on defence and military cooperation being a major part of the agenda, one of the possibilities is the speeding up of the delivery of outstanding defence articles or placing of fresh orders for additional purchases – including upgrade of existing platforms and procurement of new equipment.

Amid changing global alliances and rising tensions in various parts of the world, the ratification of the RELOS agreement shows that India(BHARAT) and Russia are keen to take forward their decades-old “special and privileged strategic partnership.”