All they want for Christmas is billions of dollars worth of weapons. Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that is. Putin celebrated Russia’s newly invigorated alliance with its old–Cold War buddy Monday as officials from both countries signed billion-dollar weapons deals that include contracts for the delivery of 71 Mil Mi-17 military helicopters and an agreement to build 42 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets in India with Russian components. “We agreed to further strengthen the traditions of close cooperation in the military and technical areas,” said Putin.
