Kremlin Hails Modi as India's Longest-Serving PM
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- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday for surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru to become India's longest-serving elected prime minister, serving 4,399 days compared to Nehru's 4,398, per the Times of India.
- Peskov credited Modi's rule with pulling 250 million people out of poverty, calling the figure 'a very important indicator for India.'
- Peskov described India as 'one of the world's leading economic powers with the fastest rates of economic growth and development' in his remarks to reporters in Moscow on June 10.
- Peskov framed Russia-India ties as a 'partnership' and said bilateral relations were 'developing in all areas,' expressing hope that Modi would continue contributing to those ties.
- The Kremlin's endorsement comes against a backdrop of sustained diplomatic engagement between Moscow and New Delhi, with Peskov explicitly naming the partnership as central to Russia's foreign relations.
Why it matters: Moscow's public celebration of Modi's record — including the specific 250-million poverty-reduction figure and the 'partnership' framing — signals that Russia sees value in publicly aligning itself with India's leadership continuity, reinforcing the diplomatic leverage New Delhi holds as it maintains ties with Moscow despite Western pressure over the Ukraine war.
