New Delhi, India – Two of the world’s biggest militaries, Russia and India, have made their most substantive defence pact yet, allowing them to station soldiers and aircraft on each other’s territory.The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) bilateral agreement, which was signed last year and is now operational, facilitates the countries’ use of each other’s military bases, naval ports, and airfields during peace and wartime.In a significant shift, India – the world’s most populous country – has allowed a foreign military to temporarily station soldiers for the first time on its soil.This deepening of Russia-India ties, especially in the defence sector, comes amid a series of global wars that have roiled the world’s economy, in the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable policymaking, impacting millions in New Delhi and Moscow.So, what is in the defence agreement? How does it benefit Russia and India? Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting in New Delhi, India, on December 5, 2025 [Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov via Reuters]What is in the RELOS agreement?Negotiated over the past eight years, the RELOS agreement was signed in Moscow in February last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified it under federal law on December 15.The pact has been in force since January 12, but the details were finally published by Russian officials only this week.The RELOS agreement will remain active for five years, with provisions to extend it with mutual conse …
