Putin welcomes Modi in Moscow with major stakes on Russia and India

As Modi is making his first visit to Russia since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, pictures coming from Moscow of Modi embracing the Russian President give a vague indication that the South Asian giant will maintain deep ties with Russia. Biden management’s efforts to woo its top minister. It also shows that Putin is not as independent as the White House was hoping.

The trip to Moscow, which overlapped with three days of NATO conferences in Washington, was met with consternation in Washington and Kiev. Asked about the Modi-Putin meeting, Environment Sector spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at a press briefing: “We have made very clear our concerns with India about their relationship with Russia. “

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted photos of a children’s health facility in Kiev that was struck by a Russian missile on Monday and criticized the meeting. “To see the leader of the world’s largest democracy embrace the world’s bloodiest criminal in Moscow on such a day is a major disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts,” he wrote.

The meeting represented a geopolitical rescue for Modi and Putin, two leaders who are otherwise moving closer to rival camps led by the US and China respectively. For Modi, Russia remains the most important source of arms and effort and field technology that India considers indispensable to becoming a great power. Analysts also say that India no longer wants Russia to be too dependent on its rival China.

Meanwhile, Putin’s war has at a critical stage been funded through Indian purchases of Russian oil products, which have increased nearly 20-fold since 2021. Russia also hopes that India will maintain its distance from America and Putin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov mocked the West for feeling “jealous” about Russia-India ties this year.

The Moscow meeting appeared to deepen what the two countries call a “special and privileged strategic relationship.” Indian officials said on Tuesday that discussions were underway to import additional Russian oil and nuclear fuel for Indian power plants that value Russian nuclear energy. Addressing the Indian diaspora, Modi also announced that India will open consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg to strengthen ties between the two peoples.

“India and Russia are walking shoulder to shoulder and injecting new energy into global prosperity,” Modi said in his speech. “Any mention of Russia reminds every Indian of an ally that has been with us in good and bad times as a trusted friend of India.”

Then arriving on Monday evening, Modi met Putin over tea on the outdoor terrace at the Russian leader’s Moscow pocket residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.

“It’s a great honor to visit a friend’s house,” Modi said, according to clips obtained by Russian media, after which he warmly embraced Putin with his trademark embrace.

“Tomorrow we have official talks, but today we can talk in a domestic atmosphere, in our residence,” Putin said. “I would like to congratulate you on your re-election as Prime Minister; This is no coincidence but the result of your many years of work. You have your own ideas, you are very energetic and you are successful in achieving results in the name of the Indian people.”

Modi’s visit to Moscow, when he will be sworn in for the third time in less than a generation, is in line with the Indian tradition of top ministers visiting their South Asian neighbors first after elections. But it certainly demonstrated Modi’s international aspirations and made him point to Putin that India has no longer slipped too far into the Western camp, while US-India cooperation has reached its best level in a long time, Indian analysts said. Is said.

Pankaj Saran, former Indian ambassador to Russia and countrywide deputy, said, “The decision to go early in the tenure is a signal that India is invested in Russia relations – which is part of India’s foreign policy, cutting across party lines.” Security assistant who keeps advising the Indian executive.

Saran said the Indian status quo still considers relations with Washington as its top priority. He said India could try to allay US concerns by arguing that India, which is friendly with Russia, could prove helpful as a potential negotiator between Moscow and the West.

Despite the fact that the India-Russia courtship again reaches Cold War status, the power and defense relationship between Russia and India – the world’s largest gun buyers – is flawed. 3 Importers of Oil – Continue to flourish. Indian imports of Russian crude rose from $2.5 billion in 2021 to $46.5 billion in 2023, according to Indian trade ministry data, before the Ukraine war broke out. Only China bought more Russian crude in the last week.

Indian officials say the price of the transaction was below the $60 per barrel cap imposed by the team of seven nations, and the US has avoided criticizing India’s purchases. However, they represent such a huge predicament for Russia that Indian officials have begun to worry about India’s growing commercial scarcity.

And while US officials have publicly and privately directed India to wean itself off Russian guns, Russian state-owned handgun manufacturing company Rostec announced last year that it would be using India to provide them to its military. Can manufacture armor-piercing tank ammunition.

In return for his assistance, Indian officials and witnesses say they hope Putin will signal to Modi that he has retained some degree of self-determination from China, India’s rival, at a time when Russia is a young partner to Beijing. As is becoming more clear.

Saran said India hopes to “engage Russia, provide Russia with options and remind Russia that they have to be conscious of how they conduct their relations with China.” “India will keep a close eye on Russia-China military or intelligence ties and how detrimental it would be to India.”

For Putin, Modi’s talks, which ended on Tuesday, offer an additional hope of showing that he is not completely independent in his war in Ukraine.

“For Putin, this is very important. This is international recognition,” a Russian official said on condition of anonymity because he was not licensed to speak on the subject. He said publicizing Russia’s ties with India also helps Putin promote Russia’s position vis-à-vis China.

Russian officials and analysts say that despite the cordial and “no limits” friendship between Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Russian president has maintained a certain distance from China. In the past generation, Putin visited North Korea in a trip that “was not very well received in Beijing,” said the Russian official, who is close to senior Russian diplomats.

“When we became completely dependent on China, we suddenly visited North Korea and now balance with India,” Wahid said. “With these kinds of triangles, (Putin) is able to balance the situation to show that he is not completely subservient.”

Belton reported from London and Ilyushina from Berlin. Anant Gupta in Delhi contributed to this file.