New Delhi, June 5 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised India's economic growth and independent foreign policy, asserting that Western efforts to pressure New Delhi into reducing its engagement with Moscow have produced no meaningful impact.

Speaking during an interaction with heads of leading global news agencies, including PTI, Putin said Russia remains committed to strengthening economic and strategic ties with India and expressed confidence that bilateral trade could soon reach the $100 billion mark.

Highlighting India's growing global influence, Putin described the country as one of the world's leading economies and credited its rapid expansion to government policies under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"India is among th...