The Russian ride: on Modi’s meeting with Putin

The Russian ride: on Modi’s meeting with Putin

News

1. Prime Minister Modi visit to Sochi for an informal summit with Russian president Putin.

Important Analysis

2. Informal summit with Russia came soon after the Wuhan meeting with Chinese president Xi Jingping.

3.Aim of the meeting was to reset and rebalance bilateral ties between India and Russia that have weakened over the past few years.

4. In last few years, India is drifting closer to the U.S. and Russia to China.

5. Reasons for Prime Minister Visit to Russia are:

• Firstly, Prime Minister wanted to reassure Russia that new US law, Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, would not hit $12 billion trade of Military hardware and energy.
• Secondly, India want reassurance from Russia that Russia’s recent military exercises and helicopter sales to Pakistan as well as its outreach to the Afghan Taliban would hurt national security interests of India
• Thirdly, there is new push to strengthen relation driven by Global Instability caused by Donald Trump Administration. India appears to have decided it can no longer depend on consistency in the U.S.’s foreign policy.

6. A comprehensive shift in foreign policy must be accompanied by greater transparency. Informal summits of the kind in Sochi and Wuhan are also useful to break the ice and reset relations when needed.

7. Official outcomes of these Informal summits were that India and China will cooperate in Afghanistan, while India and Russia will coordinate on the Indo-Pacific.

8. India at the time of global flux is riding on two boats at once, one with US and its allies & Russia and China.