Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia coincided with multiple Russian air strikes on Ukraine and came ahead of this week’s NATO Summit in Washington, DC where Russia's war in Ukraine will be a key issue of discussion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that "It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day." These developments highlight the challenges of sustaining India's longstanding commitment to "strategic autonomy" in its foreign policy in a climate of growing geopolitical polarisation. How long can New Delhi continue to square the circle of maintaining close relations with both Washington, DC and Moscow (or for that matter Israel and Iran)? So far the West has made an exception for India while being more critical of other countries maintaining close relations with Russia (e.g., China, Iran, North Korea). But it will become increasingly difficult to sustain this position if the conflicts in Ukraine (or the Middle East) escalate. I discussed these and other issues regarding Modi's Russia visit in multiple media interviews (The Associated Press, TIME, CBC, The Independent):
Like USA continues to side with Pakistan along with China and keeps aiding the Taliban?
Political Risk | Asia | Geopolitics | Energy |
2mohttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vladimir-putin-ap-russia-narendra-modi-ukraine-b2575871.html