The presumption that London and Washington had cemented India into an anti-China straitjacket was shaken up by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin visit to India on Dec 6 and by the followup “2 +2” meetings of Foreign and Defense Ministers of the two countries. It seems that the historic alliance of India and Russia is still very much alive, while Russia also maintains a healthy relationship with China. As Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council, put it: “India is on par with China in the current National Security Strategy [of Russia], and both countries are a top priority for Moscow.”
Negotiations are set to begin on a trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and India, according to TASS. Also, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met with Russia’s Sergei Shoigu, signing a ten-year pact on military cooperation, which includes the joint production of 600,000 AK-203 assault rifles at an Indian facility. Izvestia quoted Kortunov: “There is competition for the Indian military equipment market. But Russia has a strong position here, and I hope that it will continue.”
Sputnik quoted Rahul Bhonsle, a security analyst and former Indian Army brigadier: “This is a major signal to Washington that despite the CAATSA [Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act] sword in the background, India is not likely to reel back defense imports of Russian equipment in the near to mid term.” During CAATSA’s four years, India’s defense contracts with Russia have gone from $2-3 billion to $9-10 billion. Sputnik also cited Prof. Harsh V. Pant, director of the Strategic Studies Program at the New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation: “India and Russia already have very extensive defense engagement. They are hopeful that this trajectory continues because for Russia, it is important that India remains one of the most important defense buyers. For India, it is important that Russia remains engaged with India and does not really abandon its relationship with India in favor of China.”
Alexey Kupriyanov, head of the Group on South Asia and Indian Ocean at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, told Izvestia: “The shift of India and Russia to the ‘2+2’ arrangement implies that Moscow is no less vital a partner for New Delhi than Washington.” And Dr. Sandeep Tripathi, the founder and president of the Forum for Global Studies, made a similar point: “The 2+2 talks will dilute the existing hurdles and hedges between Russia and India that evolved under the new geopolitical clout, i.e., India’s alignment with the Quad and Moscow’s closer ties with Beijing.” This is coherent with the contention of India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, that, in an ever-changing world, India-Russia ties remain close and stable.
Finally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov didn’t hesitate to state: “We expressed our concern about the activities taking place in this region under the slogan of Indo-Pacific strategies, where we see non-inclusive blocs.” But, according to Sputnik, Lavrov summed up, saying that Delhi and Moscow had identical positions on the world’s most important political and military issues.
