NEW DELHI: Russian Senator Andrei Klimov on an India visit speaks to StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi. As Deputy Chair of Russia’s Upper House- the Federation Council’s- Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Senator contrasts U.S. President Donald Trump’s first visit to India with meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, discusses why India insisted on the S-400 air defence system despite the threat of American sanctions, rubbishes the continuing allegations of Moscow’s interference in U.S. elections versus Russia’s insistence of the reverse. Senator Klimov even likens the latter accusation to Juan Guaido (who the U.S. and dozens of nations recognise as the President of Venezuela). Russia, India, China and other countries still consider President Nicolás Maduro as the country’s leader. On the ‘unofficial’ working visit to India of top Crimean officials who are under U.S.sanctions, even as President Trump visited, the Senator says Russia and India respect each others internal decisions. He also stresses the need to further deepen and broaden India-Russia nuclear and space cooperation as well as to realise the potential in working together in the oil and gas sector, the Arctic and Russia’s Far East.
Andrei Klimov is also Deputy Secretary of the General Council on International Affairs of the ruling United Russia Party. He is currently chair of the Commission on Protecting State Sovereignty and Preventing Interference in the Domestic Affairs of the Russian Federation and a staunch backer of the country’s new ‘foreign agent’ law passed and signed by President Putin in December 2019.
