Try GOLD - Free
What media and experts got wrong about Vladimir Putin’s India visit
The Sunday Guardian
|December 14, 2025
On the eve of Putin's visit, a majority of national dailies and prime time TV debates were projecting big ticket announcements.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's 10th annual bilateral Summit with the Indian PM in Delhi (Dec 4-5, 2025), first since Russia invaded Ukraine (Feb 24, 2022) seems to have gone off well. It was watched with as much interest in the US and its Western allies and Beijing as in India.
If the objective was to demonstrate to the world the legacy of the 75-year-long India-Soviet/Russia relationship, it was "mission accomplished". If President Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's joint ride in Tianjin during the SCO summit caused some disquiet and dismay in the US and the EU, the Indian PM's decision to receive the Russian President at the airport with a bear hug and travel with him in a Toyota Fortuner instead of a car manufactured in Europe would have given them a rude shock
PM Modi likened the stable and steady relationship since Independence to the "Pole Star". The Russian side reminded India of their countless vetoes in the UN on J&K and the crucial help extended in crisis situations like the 1962 Chinse aggression, 1965 attack by Pakistan and 1971 intimidation by the US with the deployment of the 7th fleet in the Bay of Bengal, as well as the resilient defence ties including transfer of technology for manufacturing Brahmos missiles. Strategically, at this juncture, both Russia and India need each other thanks to the policies of Donald Trump. So, understandably, each side would highlight the takeaways from the visit as it suits it and helps further its national interests.
This story is from the December 14, 2025 edition of The Sunday Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Sunday Guardian
The Sunday Guardian
SUVENDU ADHIKARI SIGNALS END OF BENGAL'S ERA OF IMPUNITY
The walls of Nabanna, West Bengal's state secretariat on the banks of the Hooghly, have witnessed much political theatre over the years.
5 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
THE THUCYDIDES TRAP: HOW TRUMP FELL FOR XI'S BLUFF
The body language of US delegation members was evidence of their unease at the patronizing manner that Xi had while speaking to the US President. Each meeting was laden with the symbolism of the superiority of Chinese Communist culture over its US counterpart.
5 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
EXAMINATION SYSTEM FACES CREDIBILITY CRISIS AFTER NEET-UG CANCELLATION
India’s central examination system is facing its deepest credibility crisis in years after the nationwide cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026, despite sweeping reforms, arrests, agency probes and a stringent anti-paper leak law introduced after the controversies of 2024.
8 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
Measles epidemic sweeping through Bangladesh, India at risk
Hundreds of children are believed to have died after the erstwhile Yunus government ended the practice of procuring vaccines through UNICEF.
5 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
Congress had a tough time choosing Satheesan over Venugopal as Keralam CM
Even as Congress named V.D. Satheesan as Keralam Chief Minister, knocking out from the race contenders such as K.C. Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala, party insiders said that it was not an easy decision to make.
2 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
A chastened Trump returns from Beijing
Jury is still out on what the US gained from the summit and whether it was at all needed.
6 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
DMK, AIADMK RETHINK STRATEGY AS TVK RISES
Vijay’s TVK disrupts Tamil Nadu’s traditional two-party Dravidian equilibrium.
3 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
India's Bangladesh Conundrum: demographic pressures and geopolitical risks
India’s ‘Bangladesh Conundrum’ is surely a border management problem, but now it intersects with regime change in Dhaka, political shift in West Bengal and Pakistan’s constant attempts to exploit the situation for asymmetric leverage against India.
5 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
Taiwan is the permanent fault line in US-China relations
Xi’s phrase ‘extremely dangerous situation’ is not mere rhetoric. Missteps could trigger escalation.
2 mins
May 17, 2026
The Sunday Guardian
XI-TRUMP AND THE BALANCE OF POWER
CHINESE DOMINANCE
4 mins
May 17, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size