With a military comprised of 1.4 million people, India has the world’s second largest military force, and is estimated by Credit Suisse and the Global Firepower Index to be the fourth most powerful military in the world. In addition, it is one of the four nations who are not part of the NPT who possess a nuclear arsenal. As such, it could be expected that the Russian government would have a strong public stance on this issue, either positively or negatively. However, the Russian government has generally been quiet on the issue of India’s nuclear weapons. For a number of reasons, including the historical and modern reactions on the part of the Russia and the Soviet Union to India’s nuclear development, it can be best argued that Russia’s stance is one of neutrality, with favorable overtones.