The Indian Prime Minister and Russian President spoke by phone on July 1, “as agreed at the BRICS Summit on June 23–24,” the Kremlin reported. Both the Russian and Indian read-outs concurred that economic matters were front and center in their talk. “Global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets,” were discussed, Modi’s office reported, but “in particular, they exchanged ideas on how bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers and pharma products could be encouraged further.”
Similarly, the Kremlin reported that the two reviewed the factors affecting the global food and energy markets “in detail,” and “focused on the … development of mutually beneficial economic ties.” Both were pleased with “the substantial increase in bilateral trade volumes, including mutual deliveries of agricultural produce,” while Putin had “noted that Russia had been and remained a reliable producer and supplier of grain crops, fertilizer and energy carriers to Indian partners, among others.”
