Modi and Macron agree on defence ties but stand apart on Ukraine

Paris, July 16: India is close to buying new French warplanes and submarines and played a starring role in France’s Bastille Day celebrations. 

   But for all the camaraderie on display this week between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, their two countries remain sometimes-awkward allies.

Modi called for peace efforts in Ukraine to end Russia’s war and resulting grain shortages, and India has increased imports of sanctioned Russian oil; Macron’s France is boosting weapons supplies to Ukraine for its counteroffensive.

During a two-day visit that included a banquet at the Louvre, Indian troops marching down the Champs-Elysees and a high-octane speech by Modi to Indians from around Europe, the two countries released a raft of agreements tightening cooperation in areas where they agree.

The biggest step is a preliminary Indian accord to buy 26 more Rafale fighter jets and three more Scorpene French- and Spanish-made submarines, on top of a prior deal for 36 Rafales and six Scorpenes. Price details still need to be worked out.

“Cooperation in defence is the basic pillar of our relationship,” Modi said ahead of meetings with Macron. “Be it a submarine or a navy ship, we want to work jointly not only for ourselves but other friendly nations too.”

Macron is keen on tightening alliances in the Indo-Pacific, and his office unveiled a ‘’roadmap’’ with India for cooperation in the region.

“This convergence stretches to our strategic interests,” he said. ‘’We are defending together the same vision of the Indo-Pacific, an area that must remain open and free from all forms of hegemony.’'

“It is a giant in the history of the world that will have a determining role in our future,” Macron said, ahead of a dinner with Modi at the Elysee Palace. India “is also a strategic partner and friend.”

Modi said India also wants to increase cooperation with France in space, after India launched a spacecraft toward the far side of the moon Friday. 

France houses the European Space Agency’s main launch site, in French Guiana.

The two leaders also announced new initiatives to cooperate on renewable energy, hydrogen projects, artificial intelligence and semiconductors.

Modi’s two-day visit comes as Paris and New Delhi mark the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership. Crucially, it precedes Macron’s trip this month to the Indo-Pacific region, home to 1.5 million French nationals. 

Talks with Modi are aimed at ensuring the vast region remains a space where security, notably of the seas, and other key concerns like climate are preserved. 

Macron called it “an essential strategy for the balance of the planet.”

Modi is being courted by other nations. 

His two-day visit to France comes on the heels of his June trip to the United States, where President Joe Biden offered Modi a lavish welcome. 

Modi was recently in Egypt and he is to head to the United Arab Emirates after leaving France. (AP)