Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: All eyes are on Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to India on Thursday, during which he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and participate in the annual bilateral summit. The international media is focusing on why the visit assumes importance and how it could impact the geopolitical equations around the raging Ukraine war and influence alignments.
The BBC has highlighted the visit's importance also because it comes as US President Donald Trump's administration holds a series of talks with Russia and Ukraine in a bid to end the war. It also underlined that Moscow enjoys showcasing that Western attempts to isolate it over the Ukraine war have failed. "Flying to India and meeting Prime Minister Modi is one way of doing that," BBC said. It added that Putin's visit is more significant for Modi than ever before because it will test India's geopolitical autonomy.
CNN pointed out that apart from hosting Putin, PM Modi is simultaneously trying to maintain a deep strategic relationship with a key global rival: the United States. "This is India’s diplomatic split screen," it said.
A report in Associated Press said that Putin’s visit underscores India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian oil despite US sanctions. The report added that India has continued to import discounted Russian oil, even though Washington has warned that these purchases help sustain Moscow’s revenues to fund the Ukraine war. Trump has imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, effectively doubling duties to 50%.
A BBC report explained why India and Russia need each other, against the backdrop of tariff war. It claimed that after the Trump administration's additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, orders from India for Russian oil have declined. "President Putin will be keen for India to keep buying," the report added.
Apart from trade agreements, there are defence deals also on the table. "For Moscow, weapons sales to India are another priority and have been since Soviet times. Ahead of Putin's visit, there were reports that India plans to purchase state-of-the-art Russian fighter jets and air defence systems," it said.
An AFP report underlined that Putin is seeking to deepen defence ties even as New Delhi faces growing US pressure to stop buying Russian oil. It also noted that this is the Russian leader's first trip to India since the start of the Ukraine war. "Beyond defence, trade relations are expected to be on the agenda as Delhi treads a tightrope, relying on strategic Russian imports while seeking to avoid angering US President Donald Trump amid ongoing tariff negotiations," it added.
Reuters reported that Russia has been an important arms supplier to India for several decades, and New Delhi has also become its largest buyer of seaborne oil, despite Western sanctions slapped after Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "But India's crude imports are set to hit a three-year low this month, after the tightening of sanctions on Russia that coincide with its growing purchases of US oil and gas," it added.
The report said that Indian officials are worried that any new energy and defence agreements with Russia could spark a reaction from Trump.
