DELHI-MOSCOW ON TIME

The Modi-Putin summit may not have produced dramatic outcomes, but it has reaffirmed the durability of a relationship that has weathered geopolitical storms

- Seema Guha

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin's visit to India last week at a time of geopolitical churn and in the backdrop of a downturn in India-US ties over tariffs was keenly watched in world capitals. The red carpet welcome, the pomp and ceremony were all in place as it was a state visit.

But what mattered more was the messaging behind it. The choreography of warmth signalled a partnership that refuses to bow to pressure. For Moscow, the embrace by the world's largest democracy is a powerful affirmation of acceptance, more so as the US and Europe have attempted to isolate Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The message from India was to remind the world and the domestic audience that strategic autonomy, or as foreign minister S. Jaishankar puts it, “Freedom of choice,” is not just a slogan. US President Donald Trump has slapped a 50 per cent tariff on Indian exports, half of it because of lifting Russia oil, which the US claims is fuelling Moscow’s Ukraine war. Ironically, the US wants India to stop buying discounted oil while America continues to import nuclear fuel from Russia. So does Europe. China buys more oil than India, yet China is not singled out. India has drastically reduced its oil imports from Russia and could stop altogether for fear of further punitive tariffs. At the same time, India has ramped up oil imports from the US. Trump’s tariffs are aimed at India, possibly to browbeat New Delhi into agreeing to a trade deal on America’s terms. The bilateral trade deal between India and the US continues to be a work in progress and is unlikely to be sealed this year.