India, officially the Republic of India, has full diplomatic relations with 201 states, including Palestine, the Holy See, and Niue. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is the government agency responsible for the conduct of foreign relations of India. With the world's third largest military expenditure, second largest armed force, fifth largest economy by GDP nominal rates and third largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, India is a prominent regional power and a rising superpower.
Pranab Mukherjee, the former Finance Minister of India and former President of India with former US President George W. Bush in 2008.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh at the opening ceremony of third Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on March 04, 2014
India has often represented the interests of developing countries on various international platforms. Shown here are Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Dilma Rousseff, Xi Jinping, and Jacob Zuma, 2014.
India–Russia relations are the bilateral relations and overall international policies between the Republic of India and the Russian Federation. During the Cold War, India and the Soviet Union (USSR) formed a strong and strategic relationship; this diplomatic unity was further strengthened with both nations’ shared military ideals, as well as their overall economic policies. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia kept the same close ties to India; in international terms, both nations share a special relationship. Russia and India, both, consider their mutual affinity to be a "special and privileged strategic partnership". Their governments support the creation of a multipolar world order in which both nations are "poles".
President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, at the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi, 2021.
Soviet Ambassador Kirill Novikov arriving in New Delhi 1947 to establish formal diplomatic relations with India
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Russia's president Vladimir Putin in October 2000.
The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh meeting the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin, in New Delhi on 24 December 2012.