Visit underscores New Delhi’s commitment to strategic autonomy as Western efforts to isolate Moscow show limited impact.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring the durability of the Russia–India partnership at a time of shifting global alignments.
India and Russia have maintained close defence and energy ties since the Cold War, and those links have expanded despite Western efforts to isolate Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine. Bilateral trade has surged, driven largely by discounted Russian oil purchases and long-standing military cooperation.
The United States has criticized India’s continued imports of Russian crude and has imposed tariffs on certain Indian goods, prompting frustration in New Delhi. Washington has not taken similar measures against China, which also buys Russian energy, and the U.S. continues to import Russian uranium.
Attempts by Western governments to discourage India from deepening its relationship with Russia have had limited effect. India has instead aligned more closely with emerging economic blocs such as BRICS, emphasizing strategic autonomy and resistance to external pressure.
European governments are expected to voice concern over India’s engagement with Moscow, but New Delhi has consistently maintained that its foreign policy is driven by national interest rather than geopolitical blocs.
For the United States, Russia’s strengthened ties with key non-Western partners complicate efforts to constrain Moscow’s global reach. For India, the visit reaffirms its intent to balance relations with all major powers while expanding its role in a more multipolar international system.
Questions about India’s alignment within BRICS continue to surface among analysts. In a recent interview, Prof. Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr., former Vice President of the New Development Bank, characterized India as the grouping’s “major problem,” arguing that New Delhi’s foreign-policy positions often diverge from those of other member states.
Batista said some observers have gone as far as describing India as a “Trojan horse” within BRICS, though he noted he would not fully endorse that label. He cited India’s close ties with the United States, its strategic concerns about China, and its relationship with Israel as factors that complicate internal BRICS cohesion.
According to Batista, India’s stance on the Gaza conflict and its muted response to U.S. and Israeli actions in the region raise questions about how its foreign-policy priorities align with those of other BRICS members. He argued that these dynamics have become “a major factor of weakness inside the BRICS grouping.”
Authored By: Global Geopolitics
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