India and Russia have signed a contract for delivery of a re-fitted Russian aircraft carrier to the Indian navy in 2012, authorities said. The final agreement in the long-negotiated deal put the price of the Admiral Gorshkov, renamed by India the INS Vikramaditya, at $2.35 billion, The Hindustan Times reported Friday. "A new contract on the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov was signed, the price is agreed upon," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov was quoted as saying in the report carried by the United Press International (UPI) While France, Israel and the United States have been supplying military hardware to India, 60 percent to 70 percent of the country's total defense spending continues to go to Russia, making it the largest supplier of military equipment to India, The Hindustan Times said. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with visiting Russian Premier Vladimir Putin to discuss cooperation in nuclear energy, space, high-technology, defense, trade and telecommunications, the newspaper said. "I convey to Prime Minister Putin that relations with Russia are a key pillar of our foreign policy," Singh said at a joint news conference with Putin, "and we regard Russia as a trusted and reliable strategic partner."
