Putin praises India as key IT power in BRICS push

Vladimir Putin used the plenary session of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 5 to praise India as a strategic partner and “one of the leading players in the IT industry,” a pointed signal that Moscow is trying to elevate New Delhi’s role well beyond ordinary trade. In Kremlin transcripts, Putin also described India as a “key partner” and tied the praise to a wider argument that BRICS economies are overtaking the G7 in global economic weight.

The numbers he cited were designed to make that case. Putin said BRICS countries accounted for 49% of global GDP growth over the past five years, compared with about 18% for the G7. He also said BRICS now represented around 40% of global GDP measured by purchasing power parity, versus less than 29% for the G7. A BRICS summary of IMF data put the bloc at 40% of the global economy in PPP terms in 2024, with a projection of 41% in 2025, while also saying BRICS grew 4% in 2024 versus 3.3% for the world overall.

India’s technology scale helps explain why Putin singled it out. The Indian government said in March 2025 that the country’s IT industry was projected to reach $283 billion in revenue in 2024-25. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology later cited Nasscom data estimating IT exports at $224.4 billion in FY25. By praising India’s software sector, Putin was acknowledging a business strength that matters not only for outsourcing and digital services, but also for a broader contest over which economies define the next phase of global growth.

The political message was just as important as the economic one. SPIEF has been held since 1997 and has been under the auspices of the Russian president since 2006, making it a longstanding stage for Kremlin signaling. This year, the forum framed India not simply as a commercial partner but as part of Russia’s effort to build economic relationships that can withstand sanctions and geopolitical isolation. India-Russia trade has remained robust despite Western sanctions, especially through India’s purchases of Russian crude, reinforcing the idea that Moscow sees New Delhi as both a market and a strategic hedge. For Russia, the appeal of India lies in more than technology. It lies in the chance to project resilience, widen its circle of major partners and present BRICS as a real alternative center of gravity in a fragmented global economy.