Russia’s top strategic partner

PUTIN'S VISIT WILL PROBABLY INCREASE TRADE, BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF CHINA

- ANITA INDER SINGH

DESPITE THE HUGS and hyperbole at the first India-Russia summit to be held since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia’s top strategic priority remains China, not India.

The meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin on December 4 and 5 carried significant diplomatic and strategic weight, as arms, oil, and trade stood out in their discussions.

Arms supplies

Russia’s arms supplies to India have stood out in their relationship for some 50 years, and it remains India’s largest weapons retailer. But India was trying to diversify its arms sellers even before 2022, and Russia currently supplies about 36% of India’s weapons, with France and Israel in the second and third places respectively.

Russia’s war in Ukraine explains why deliveries of arms and spare parts to India have stalled over the last three years. It has failed to deliver two instalments of the S-400 Triumf missile, which India ordered in 2018, and which Modi hailed for its performance in the anti-terrorist Operation Sindoor against Pakistan last May. Moscow has subsequently said it will deliver them in 2026-27, but that remains to be seen. Meanwhile, India is reportedly keen to buy the more advanced S-500 and Su-57 fighter aircraft. But Delhi must contend with the fact that Russia is bogged down in Ukraine, which Moscow wants to conquer. This intention will not change and will continue to affect Russia’s weapons deliveries to India.