Putin to Push Arms, Energy in India

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will push India to double its payment for renovations on a long-delayed aircraft carrier, while also trying to conclude other deals for arms, nuclear energy and communications during a two-day visit beginning Thursday.New Delhi is the largest foreign buyer of Russian defense equipment, particularly aircraft, and Putin will be looking to shore up that cooperation in talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his first visit to India since January 2007.He is also slated to meet Indian President Pratibha Patil, the government press service said in a statement Tuesday.But the biggest issue on the agenda are cost overruns and delays to refit and deliver the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier, as the Soviet-built Admiral Gorshkov is now known. Problems with the project have been a regular thorn in generally solid bilateral ties..................................................MoscowTimes

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