Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs aide, Yuri Ushakova has announced that PM Modi will visit Russia around mid-July. This will be Modi’s first visit to Russia after it attacked Ukraine in February 2022 and is significant given India’s tact and diplomacy in managing cordial ties with both Moscow and the West amidst their growing hostility.
A Modi Putin meet is bound to draw global attention given its timing and location. It is scheduled to take place in Moscow, and this comes right after India’s limited participation in the Ukraine peace summit held in Switzerland and also right ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation organisation or SCO meet, where Russia and China are the prime movers.
In fact, here again India’s watchful diplomacy is evident since PM Modi is unlikely to attend the SCO meet in Kazakhstan owing to his obligations in the Monsoon session of parliament that is overlapping with the SCO dates. It’s a balancing act that India has played with panache.
The Modi Putin meet assumes significance for multiple reasons and here are the five ways it could help India position itself in the ongoing strife between the Western imperialism on one side and Putin’s expansionist policies on the other.
First it underlines India’s independence in matters of foreign relations where New Delhi owes no explanation to the western allies for the ties that it chooses to maintain with other nations.
Second, the visit would ensure the deft balance of power given China’s closeness to Russia. India can ill afford to be on the wrong side of both these countries. Keeping Putin in good humor serves India’s interest to offset China’s growing influence.
Third, India follows the principle of reciprocity and after Putin’s visit to India two years ago ahead of the Ukraine war, it is in a way customary to reciprocate given Putin’s open invitation to Modi for a meeting in Moscow. It also enhances India’s stature as a nation that operates on its own terms irrespective of the strife among its allies.
Fourth, this visit would highlight India’s neutrality and consistency when it comes to Russia-Ukraine conflict. India has refrained from voting against Russia in the United Nations on multiple occasions and abstained from signing the peace communique in the recently held Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland. Staying consistent with its policy that the warring factions must resolve the conflict bilaterally through diplomatic channels.
And finally, India and Russia are on firm footing as trade partners and there is a strong Quid pro quo which India would not like to disbalance. India relies heavily on Russian defense equipment and despite the recent diversification with investments in modern warfare with western countries, Russia remains a steady supplier. Moscow also would not upset this apple cart given its increasing isolation, having India in its corner means signaling to the west that it’s not after all as pariah a nation as the West would like to portray.
