11 hours agoShareSaveSteve Rosenberg,Russia editor, in DelhiandVikas Pandey,India editorShareSaveAFP via Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin is starting a two-day visit to India, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attend an annual summit held by both countries.Delhi and Moscow are expected to sign a number of deals during the visit, which comes months after the US increased pressure on India to stop buying Russian oil.It also comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration holds a series of talks with Russia and Ukraine in an attempt to end the war.India and Russia have been close allies for decades and Putin and Modi share a warm relationship. Here’s a look at why they both need each other – and what to watch for as they meet.A special friendship, trade deals and geopoliticsBy Steve RosenbergWhy are relations with India key for the Kremlin?Well, for a start, look at the numbers:a population of nearly a billion and a half.economic growth exceeding 8%. India is the world’s fastest growing major economy.That makes it a hugely attractive market for Russian goods and resources – especially oil.India is the world’s third largest consumer of crude oil and has been buying large volumes from Russia. That wasn’t always the case. Before the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, only 2.5% of India’s oil imports were Russian.That figure jumped to 35% as India took advantage of Russian price discounts prompted by sanctions against Moscow and Russia’s restricted access to the European market.India was happy. Washington less so.Earlier this year, the Trump administration slapped an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, arguing that by purchasing oil from Russia, India was helping to fund the Kremlin’s war chest. Orders from India for Russian oil have since dropped. President Putin will be keen for India to keep buying.For Moscow, weapons sales to India are another priority and have been since Soviet times. Ahead of Putin’s visit, there were reports that India plans to purchase state-of-the-art Russian fighter jets and air defence systems.Russia, hit by a labour shortage, also sees India as a valuable source of skilled workers.But there’s geopolitics at play, too.The Kremlin enjoys demonstrating that Western efforts to isolate it over the war in Ukraine have failed.Flying to India and meeting Prime Minister Modi is one way of doing that.So is travelling to China and holding talks with Xi Jinping, as Putin did three months ago. He met Modi on the same trip. The image of the three leaders smiling and chatting together sent a clear message that, despite the war in Ukraine, Moscow has powerful allies who support the concept of a “multi-polar world”.Russia lauds its “no limits partnership” with China.It is just as vocal about its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with India.That is a stark contrast to Moscow’s strained relationship with the European Union.”I think the Kremlin is sure that the West, including Europe, totally failed,” believes Novaya Gazeta columnist Andrei Kolesnikov.”We are not isolated, because we have connections to Asia and the Global South. Economically, this is the future. In that sense Russia returned as the main actor in these parts of the globe, like the Soviet Union. But even the Soviet Union had special channels and connections to the US, West Germany and France. It had a multi-vector policy.”But now we are totally isolated from Europe. This is unprecedented. Our philosophers always said that Russia was a part of Europe. Now we’re not. This is a big failure and a big loss. I’m sure that part of Russia’s political and entrepreneurial class is dreaming of returning to Europe and of doing business not only with China and India.”This week, though, expect to hear about Russia-India friendship, trade deals and increased economic cooperation between Moscow and Delhi.Getty ImagesTest of Modi’s strategic autonomyBy Vikas PandeyPutin’s visit to Delhi is coming at a crucial time for Modi and India’s global ambitions.India-Russia ties go back to the Soviet era and have endured irrespective of the changing geopolitical landscape.Putin has arguably put more time and energy into this relationship than other Russian leaders before him.As for Modi, despite coming under intense pressure from Western governments to criticise Russia over its war in Ukraine, he maintained that dialogue was the only way to resolve the conflict.This was India’s “strategic autonomy” at play – with Modi occupying a particular place in the geopolitical order where he held close ties with Moscow while maintaining his relationship with the West at the same time.That worked – until Trump returned to the White House. India-US ties have hit an all-time low in recent months as the two countries have failed to resolve the tariff deadlock.In this context, Putin’s visit assumes more significance for Modi than ever before because it will test India’s geopolitical autonomy. He will be walking the proverbial diplomatic tightrope here.Modi would want to show Indians at home and in the wider world that he still counts Putin as his ally and hasn’t given into pressure from Trump, whom he has earlier called his “true friend”.But he has also faced pressure from his allies in Europe – just this week, the German, French and UK ambassadors in India wrote a rare joint article in a major newspaper criticising Russia’s stance on Ukraine.And so, Modi will have to ensure that the strengthening of India-Russia ties does not overshadow ongoing trade talks with the US and his partnership with Europe.”For India, the challenge is strategic balance – protecting autonomy while navigating pressure from Washington and dependence on Moscow,” said the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think-tank.Getty ImagesModi’s othe …
