40 Years On: Remembering the Historic Gandhi-Gorbachev Summit That Shaped Indo-Soviet Ties

40 years ago today, on 14 March 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet Communist Party leader Mikhail Gorbachev met at the Kremlin for pivotal talks, a momentous occasion in Indo-Soviet ties. The two leaders reaffirmed their "firm desire" to increase cooperation in all areas and discussed the international situation.

 

Key points

This historic meeting paved the way for a subsequent era of cooperation between India and the Soviet Union that would last until 1991 when the Soviet Union itself was dissolved. The summit expressed the value the two countries wished to accord to their strategic tie, especially amid the Cold War period.

 

Gandhi-Gorbachev talks in 1985 continued to be the turning point moment in diplomatic relations, dictating the future trend of Indo-Russian relations for generations to come.

 

Source: The Indian Express, March 14, 2025