Putin's 2-Day Visit To India Starts Amid A Tussle Between Western Pressure And Self-Interest
Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a two-day visit to India to attend the 23rd India-Russia bilateral annual summit. This is the first Indian visit of President Putin after the Ukraine war since 2022, which comes with pressure from Western countries demanding his arrest.
Notably, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant against Vladimir Putin for alleged crimes in the Ukraine War; however, India is not a signatory to the ICC and is not forced to comply with its ruling.
Adding to the pressure, the controversial editorial piece written by the envoys of France, Germany, and the UK to India criticized Putin over the war and accused him of delaying peace talks.
India needs to walk through a balanced and narrow path to avoid the compromise of national interest and external relations with the dominant forces of the West and Russia.
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Oil, trade, energy, and nuclear energy are among the top items on the list to negotiate between India and Russia during the recent bilateral summit.
India has heightened its oil purchase since 2022, despite the threats of the US and the West, from 2% ($10billion) to over 40% ($68.7billion), taking the purchases to the highest level while drawing ire from the Western countries.
The cut in India’s oil purchases after giving up Iranian and Venezuelan oil in 2018 would cost nearly 9-10 billion dollars.
Both countries will likely discuss replacing some trade figures with other commodities from Russia, as well as boosting Indian exports to Russia of food, apparel, and machinery. This becomes even more significant as India is already facing harsh tariffs of up upto50%, the highest for any country.
The India-Russia labour mobility agreement to be launched on December 5, 2025, will also be a centrepiece as Indian skilled and semi-skilled workers are seeking jobs in other Western markets, and tighten immigration controls.
