Dhaka, Oct. 29 -- India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) said on Tuesday (Oct 28) it had signed an agreement with Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) to jointly manufacture civil passenger aircraft in India, a move that could test New Delhi's ties with its Western partners.

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a post on X, hailed "a landmark step for the Indian civil aviation sector" that will create jobs and boost self-reliance.

The United States and some other Western partners have previously criticised India's policy towards Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, demanding that Delhi comply with their sanctions against Moscow.

India in turn has said it does not subscribe to unilateral sanction measur...