Russia and India’s deepening defence cooperation - the latest being Moscow’s proposal for joint production of T-14 Armata battle tanks - has been criticised in Turkey for “double standards” adopted by the West over India's Russian weapons deals.
A report that appeared on a local Turkish website, ‘Marmara Bogle’, questioned why the sanctions imposed by the US on Turkey in 2020 for the purchase of Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile system was not imposed on India, which acquired the same. “The sanctions imposed on Türkiye over the S-400 air defense system were not applied to India, which made similar purchases. Now, Russia has proposed a much deeper defense industry partnership with the country: production of T-14 Armata battle tanks in India,” the report added.
The report added that Turkey was previously excluded from the F-35 program and subjected to Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions for purchasing the S-400 system. “Ankara interprets the failure to impose such sanctions on India as a double standard. Now, India's agreement with Russia on tank production could once again revive this debate in Türkiye,” Marmara Bogle report said.
The report comes as relations between India and Turkey soured over the last few months over the latter’s public support for Pakistan in the recent conflict. Ever since that, Turkish media has been carrying reports about India’s defence capabilities and how its burgeoning defence relations with Turkey’s arch foe, Greece.
Recently, a report published in the conservative news website Yeni Akit cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement about the impact of the BrahMos missile as a threat to Turkey itself. This is despite the Prime Minister making no statement about Turkey.