Russia assures timely delivery of remaining S-400 air defence system during bilateral meeting with Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a comprehensive bilateral meeting with Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov on Thursday (June 26, 2025) in Qingdao, China, over defence cooperation between the two countries.

In the meeting, a discussion was held over the timely delivery of S-400 air defence system to India, to which the Russian confirmed it of timely delivery.

An initial order of five S-400s was placed by India and three have been delivered. The remaining two S-400 units is on track, with deliveries expected to be completed in the stipulated time frame, he announced.

Both sides agreed to a bilateral cooperation in defence and other sectors.

During Operation Sindoor, the Russian-made S-400 systems, operational with the Indian military, played a critical role in intercepting and neutralising missiles and drones launched by Pakistan.

India signed a $5.43 billion deal with Russia in 2018 for five squadrons of the S-400 Triumf missile system, a state-of-the-art air defence platform capable of engaging multiple aerial threats at long ranges. Three squadrons have already been delivered.

A bilateral meeting with Chinese Defence Minister is also scheduled for later in the day.

Mr. Singh is in Qingdao to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting on June 25-26. On the sidelines of the multi-lateral summit, he will hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from China and Russia.