President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to New Delhi since the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the clearest sign of India’s determination to balance between bolstering its long-standing defence ties with Moscow and managing trade tensions with the United States, according to analysts.
On Thursday, Putin was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Delhi’s airport for his two-day state visit, before they were driven in the same car to a dinner hosted by Modi at his residence.
Behind the pageantry, India is engaging in complex strategic calculations as it tries to fend off further punitive measures from the US over its trade links with Russia, while Delhi and Washington continue to hold talks on a trade agreement, analysts say.
US President Donald Trump slapped a 50 per cent tariff on India earlier this year, half of which was imposed as a penalty for India’s purchases of discounted Russian oil.
“I think Putin has been very understanding of India’s predicament. They will have to devise ways of trading with subterfuge so that it does not displease the Americans,” said Pushpesh Pant, former dean of the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Russia has been India’s biggest supplier of military equipment for decades, even as Delhi seeks to diversify its weapon suppliers to include countries such as France, the US and Israel. Up to 60 per cent of India’s military equipment is of Russian origin, including combat aircraft, battle tanks, frigates and an aircraft carrier, according to local media reports.