Modi-Putin meeting at SCO: Can India-Russia ties hold?
Indian PM Modi meets Russia's President Putin at the SCO summit in Bishkek as Moscow and New Delhi face rising tensions with Washington — Russia over war-related sanctions, and India over its energy and trade choices.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, on Monday, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. This comes amid ongoing tensions from the US-Israel war on Iran and Russia's ongoing conflict in Ukraine. India has maintained engagement with the SCO while avoiding turning it into an anti-Western bloc, reflecting a broader strategy of balancing relationships with competing powers.
The India-Russia relationship has undergone significant changes, particularly in the energy sector. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia became a major supplier of discounted Russian oil to India, which was previously a small share of India's crude imports. This shift has made Moscow one of India's largest suppliers of energy but also a source of contention with the US, which has urged India to reduce its purchases from Russia.
India maintains that securing affordable and reliable energy is a national interest and is responding by diversifying its energy sources, including from Russia and the US.
Defence remains another critical pillar of the relationship, but India's dependence on Russian military equipment has been declining due to concerns over Russia's production capacity, delivery schedules, and spare parts supply. India is increasingly looking for defense equipment that can be incorporated into its indigenous production plans.
Russia's growing dependence on China has also impacted the India-Russia equation, diminishing Moscow's ability to act as a counterweight to Beijing. This shift has altered India's strategic expectations from Russia, with a growing emphasis on specific interests such as energy security, defense supplies, trade, and access to technology.
India maintains that its larger strategic weight now lies with relationships with the US and its allies, with an "America plus" approach that maintains its partnership with the US while expanding engagement with other major powers.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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