Indian Prime Minister worked to strike a balance during his meeting with Putin

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being keenly watched by his Western allies as he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on his first foreign visit since returning to office for a third term in June.

Mr Modi landed on Monday, hours after Russian bombings killed at least 41 people in Ukraine, including a children’s hospital in Kiev, sparking global outrage.

In pictures from Moscow, Mr Modi is seen smiling and hugging the Russian President. A video of a smiling Mr Putin calling Mr Modi “my dearest friend” and telling him he was “happy to see him” has been going viral in India for quite some time.

Mr Modi’s two-day visit – his first to the Kremlin since 2019 – coincides with the NATO summit in Washington, where the 2022 offensive will be a key topic.

The Republic of India, a major global economy, has close ties with both Russia and the United States and its partners and officials in Delhi are raising uncomfortable questions about the timing of Mr Modi’s visit. They are saying that the annual height is part of a long-standing strategic partnership and its schedule has nothing to do with NATO height.

However, a bitter note has been issued by America expressing concern. SHAPE Section spokesman Matthew Miller suggested Mr Modi to emphasize Ukraine’s territorial integrity during their talks in Moscow.

Mr. Miller also said that the United States had raised concerns with the Republic of India regarding relations with Russia.

He said, “We would urge India, as we do any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine must be one that respects the UN Charter. “That respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the sovereignty of Ukraine.” At a press conference on Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went further – and did not shorten his phrases,

“To see the leader of the world’s largest democracy embrace the world’s bloodiest criminal in Moscow on a day like this is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts,” he posted on Monday on

The NATO summit in Washington, which begins on Tuesday, is being held to mark the 75th anniversary of the Western defense group, which was created primarily as a bulwark against the incoming Soviet Union and subsequent international war two. Was formed as.

NATO countries have strongly opposed Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, while India and Mr Modi have avoided any specific complaints about President Putin except to call for discussion and international relations to resolve the war.

As Western countries aim to isolate Moscow by imposing sanctions, President Putin has been holding summit level meetings with leaders of major countries like China, Republic of India, Turkey and others.

Some are actually asking whether Mr Modi’s presence in Moscow might be a good fit for Mr Putin. Is the Republic of India sending a message by playing into the hands of Russia?

“The bilateral visit this time is just a scheduling priority that we have made. And that is what it is,” Vinay Kwatra, permanent secretary in the Indian foreign ministry, told the BBC ahead of Mr Modi’s advisory, dismissing any link between the two incidents.

India and Russia are part of a defense and strategic family dating back to the days of the Cold War and Moscow remains a major provider of guns. The Republic of India, which maintains some of the greatest armies on the planet, has a long-running border dispute with its neighbors Pakistan and China.

Mr Modi’s gesture to Moscow is no miracle and its connection extends beyond defense procurement, say professionals.

“If you look at the historical trend, it (Moscow) has been one of the constants in Indian foreign policy,” Pankaj Saran, India’s former ambassador to Moscow, told the BBC.

“The main pillars of the relationship include defense cooperation, energy and science technology.”

Over the years, Russia has provided technical assistance to build several nuclear power plants in the Republic of India.

Delhi has also been buying billions of dollars of subsidized oil from Moscow since the Ukraine war began, after Western countries imposed restrictions on Russia over how much it could sell the product or what the price of it could be.

Due to increased oil purchases, bilateral trade between India and Russia has increased to $65bn (£50.76bn) over the past few years. The Republic of India’s exports to Russia have reached only $4 billion.

Indian officials say a key priority for Mr. Modi will be to address this industry imbalance and shift some defense manufacturing to the Republic of India in addition to encouraging Russian investment in the Republic of India.

Over the past twenty years, the West, particularly the US, has cultivated close ties with the Republic of India, which many see as a bulwark against ultimatums by an increasingly assertive China.

The Republic of India also became a member of the Quad – a strategic forum with the United States, Australia and Japan – known as a grouping aimed at countering Chinese influence in the Asia Pacific.

Although facing increasing Western hostility, President Putin has drawn closer strategic and economic ties with Beijing. Reforms in India, China’s longtime rival, are no longer ignored.

A terrible controversy In June 2020, 20 Indian and at least 4 Chinese soldiers were killed and tensions escalated along the disputed border in the Ladakh region.

There are fears in the Republic of India that it may be removed from the Moscow-Beijing equation.

Mr. Saran says, “One option currently being adopted by Delhi is to keep the Russia channel open to maintain friendship and avoid taking any steps that would further increase Russia’s inclination towards Chinese weapons, Which is happening because of American and Western policies.”

Even though Delhi has diversified its gun stockpile in recent years through purchases of American, French and Israeli arms, it is still heavily dependent on Moscow and its defense exports have been hit by the war in Ukraine.

“There are reports of delays in the supply of some spare parts and delivery of the remaining S-400 anti-missile defense system. So, there will definitely be some discussion on this during the visit,” says Anil Trigunayat, former ambassador and now distinguished fellow at Vivekananda Global Foot in Delhi.

Delhi and Moscow are not without their differences. There have been several instances of Indian citizens being lured by fraudulent guarantees of lucrative activity deals and joining forces to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine. So far 4 Indians have died in the fighting.

Indian officials insist that during the talks, Mr Modi will press his Russian counterparts for the early release of Indians – numbering in the dozens – who are still fighting in the war.

The Republic of India is conscious that it wants both the US and Russia to counter its rival China. Therefore, there is a need to strike a balance in order not to offend either one of them.

“India follows a policy of strategic autonomy and multiple alignment. We have strategic relations with both America and Russia. These are mutually exclusive partnerships,” says Mr Trigunayat.