THE TRILATERAL

FOCUS GEOPOLITICS

- Malay Mishra

President Putin came to India to attend the 23rd India-Russia bilateral summit with a heavy Ukraine baggage. He had just finished his marathon meeting with US Special Envoy Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Kushner in Moscow when he came calling to Delhi for a crisp 27-hours Summit.

However, despite the hoopla and din of the visit which was keenly watched by all power blocs with interest, one thing missed everybody’s attention, the revival of the Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping.

RIC had found expression in a Kremlin policy paper believed to be authored by then PM Primakov in the late 1990s and after holding a couple of ministerial meetings had quickly slid into oblivion. This could find a new life. Given the tumultuous developments of recent months, and particularly after the second advent of Trump in the White House things have not been good for India badgered by a stiff 50% sanctions and for Modi at the receiving end of humiliation on the supposed ceasefire which was “arranged” by the US President.