New Delhi, Dec 4 : The Union government on Thursday refuted a news report that claimed India has signed a deal to lease a $2 billion nuclear-powered submarine from Russia.

Terming the report as "misleading", the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said in a fact-check post on X that no new deal had been signed between the two countries.

The PIB statement clarified that the submarine lease referred to in the story, which was published by news agency Bloomberg, is based on a contract signed almost six years ago, in 2019. The delivery of the submarine is scheduled for 2028, it added.

The Bloomberg report, which appeared just ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to Delhi on Thursday, had said that India was preparing to finalise a $2-billion lease for a nuclear-powered attack submarine.

The PIB in an earlier statement said the India-Russia bilateral relationship has remained strong and stable over the past 78 years, with a shared commitment to a multipolar world as well as to expand the engagement beyond the traditional military, nuclear and space cooperation.

In the past two years, the bilateral trade has expanded significantly. During President Putinâ??s visit, starting on Thursday, discussions will be held on ways to increase exports from India as well as developing new models of cooperation. Both countries are also looking to strengthen inter-regional cooperation, especially with the Russian Far East and promote connectivity initiatives like the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor, and the Northern Sea Route, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

The statement also highlighted that defence is one of the most important parts of the strong friendship and strategic partnership between India and Russia. The longstanding and wide-ranging military technical cooperation between the two countries has evolved from a buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research, development and production of advanced defence technologies and systems. Russia is also an important source for the supply of defence equipment, engines, spare parts and components. Several defence platforms are also assembled or produced in India, such as T-90 tanks and Su-30 MKI aircraft. Both sides have also been exploring co-development and co-production of defence equipment and platforms, including the possibility of export to other countries, such as the Brahmos missile system.

/IANS