Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Moscow visit was billed as his first “stand-alone” visit during this tenure, with officials laying stress on the purely “bilateral” framework. However, while the visit had strong bilateral components, its impact has been felt globally, with unprecedented criticism from Kyiv and Washington on its timing and optics. On the bilateral front, the visit, his first to Russia since 2019, and the first “annual” summit in three years, resulted in a number of outcomes. There was a reaffirmation of India-Russia ties as well as Mr. Modi’s obvious personal rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Modi also received Russia’s highest civilian award. He praised Mr. Putin’s efforts to strengthen bilateral ties, that had appeared to be flagging, given the war in Ukraine, and growing Russia-China ties. In formal talks, the leaders focused on bettering the economic and trade relationship, which has often been a neglected part of the largely government-to-government engagements, and announced a bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2030, which should be easily met given India’s massive increase in oil imports from Russia specially discounted due to western sanctions. Mr. Modi also won an assurance from Mr. Putin that Indian recruits enlisted in the Russian Army will be allowed to return to India. Unlike in the past, the visit lacked any announcements of military purchases that have been the mainstay of ties, due partially to Russian delays in supplies of deals already announced after the invasion of Ukraine and to also avoid international censure. Mr. Modi’s statement that there was “no solution on the battlefield” to the conflict, as well as his decision to travel further to Vienna, were seen as attempts to balance the trip, his first since the conflict began.
In an increasingly polarised world, this was easier said than done, especially as Mr. Modi’s visit happened even as Ukraine was hit by a devastating missile attack. There were also NATO, western alliance leaders and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy converging in Washington for a summit that was aimed, albeit unsuccessfully, at showing Russia’s isolation. It is another matter that the stance reeks of hypocrisy, as the NATO countries have failed to show similar concerns over the killing of innocents in Gaza due to Israel’s relentless bombardment. The U.S. State Department and Ukraine have been openly critical of Mr. Modi’s visit, and New Delhi’s task will be to limit the damage in ties with the U.S. and Europe. In the long term, India will have to assert its interests and convince the West that it is futile to force India to choose, or to push a country known for its independent stance, to become a camp follower in this conflict.
