Click to play videoNew Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in Russia where he will be finalising a civil nuclear agreement that looks to be more beneficial than the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.
The nuclear agreement is also expected to warm up the Manmohan Singh-Vladimir Putin summit.
Sources say the agreement is really the last lap in bilateral civil nuclear cooperation. The deal commits Russia to transfer sensitive enrichment and reprocessing technologies to India. India can help enrich Russian uranium upto 20 per cent and it also commits Russia to uninterrupted uranium supplies.
In December 2008 India signed a contract with Russia for four more reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and recently identified a site in West Bengal's Haripur for Russian reactors.
So Russia now leads the race to enter the Indian nuclear power market.
But there's still no agreement on the final price for the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. Discussions on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft project and the Multirole Transport Aircraft also drag on.
However, Russia has agreed to guarantee after sales support for defence equipment it sells to India.
The India-Russia relationship comes minus the glamour and hype associated with high level visits to Washington but with the last lap in nuclear cooperation all set to be sealed, Moscow has leapfrogged ahead of the US underscoring its position as Delhi's preferred strategic partner.
"India and Russia have a very special relationship. This relationship has got added momentum during your (Dmitry Medvedev) presidency and it's my sincere desire that in years to come our two countries should work closely with each other in dealing with our bilateral concern and global concern. And you have my assurance Mr. President that no other relationship which is of greater importance to India than the relationship with your great country," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after arriving in Moscow on Sunday on a three-day visit.
Singh will also be meeting Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his trip.
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