Russian President Vladimir Putin begins a two-day state visit to India on Thursday that aims to showcase Moscow’s sustained overseas friendships, despite US pressure on New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil.
The countries are expected to bolster trade and defense ties, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely underscore that New Delhi doesn’t plan to cease Russian energy purchases, analysts said. But Modi will navigate a balancing act to avoid antagonizing Washington in the midst of delicate trade negotiations.
US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign has forced India to “pursue a renewed multialignment, not out of ideological conviction but as a practical necessity,” experts wrote in Foreign Affairs — ironically, the very outcome Trump was trying to prevent.