Putin in Delhi: What the Latest India–Russia Summit Signals in a Fractured World Order

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s December 4–5 visit to India for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit drew global attention well beyond New Delhi and Moscow. For India, it was about sustaining a long-standing partnership under changing global conditions. For the West, which has largely shunned Putin since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022, the visit was a test of whether India would recalibrate its ties under geopolitical pressure. What unfolded was a carefully choreographed assertion of India’s strategic autonomy, without overtly provoking either side.

Why Putin’s visit attracted unusual global scrutiny

This was Putin’s first visit to India since Western countries imposed diplomatic embargoes on him. Against the backdrop of sanctions, energy politics, and the Ukraine war, the optics mattered as much as outcomes. The warmth displayed between Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi signalled continuity, not rupture, in bilateral ties — something that unsettled Washington and European capitals hoping for visible distancing.

The interest was heightened because India has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia, maintaining neutrality while expanding purchases of discounted Russian oil. This position has repeatedly drawn criticism from the U.S. and its allies, making the Delhi summit a geopolitical litmus test.

The historical depth of the India–Russia relationship

Meetings between Indian and Russian leaders have often reshaped regional geopolitics. The most consequential example remains the 1971 India–Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation, signed under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. That agreement provided India crucial diplomatic and military backing during the Bangladesh Liberation War, culminating in the creation of Bangladesh.

Even after the Cold War, Moscow continued to accommodate Indian interests — from defence technology transfers to gestures like waiving penalties in 2009 to help India acquire its second aircraft carrier. These episodes cemented a relationship built less on ideology and more on strategic reliability.

Managing Western discomfort without abandoning autonomy

Western unease over India–Russia ties is not new. During the Cold War, many Western capitals viewed Moscow’s support for India as an anti-West alignment, even as they themselves leaned towards Pakistan. That discomfort has resurfaced after Ukraine, with the difference that India today enjoys far greater global economic and strategic weight.

The recent summit underscored that New Delhi is unwilling to sacrifice a trusted partnership to placate external expectations. While India has expanded engagement with the U.S., Europe, Japan and Australia, it continues to resist bloc politics — a posture reminiscent of, though distinct from, its earlier non-alignment.

What the Joint Statement reveals — and what it omits

The Joint Statement issued after the summit reaffirmed the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between India and Russia, marking 25 years since its formal declaration. It emphasised mutual trust, respect for core national interests, and the intent to explore new areas of cooperation while strengthening traditional ones.

Connectivity emerged as a key theme, with references to the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic and the Chennai–Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor. Technology and industrial collaboration also featured prominently.

Strikingly, defence cooperation — long the bedrock of the relationship — was largely absent from the public text. Whether this silence reflects diplomatic caution or a gradual rebalancing remains unclear, but it marks a notable departure from past summit declarations.

Defence ties: still central, even if understated

Despite the omission, defence cooperation remains structurally embedded in India–Russia ties. Russia continues to be India’s largest and most reliable supplier of advanced military platforms, spanning land, sea and air. Systems such as the S-400 air defence system, the jointly developed BrahMos missile, Sukhoi SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft, T-90 tanks and transport helicopters form the backbone of India’s military capabilities.

Recent conflicts, including Operation Sindoor in May 2025, reinforced the operational value of these platforms. While India has diversified procurement to include partners like France and Israel, a sharp pivot away from Russia would carry significant costs in interoperability, maintenance, and strategic leverage.

The larger geopolitical contradiction India must manage

India’s balancing act is complicated by Western actions that undercut their own rhetoric. Even as Washington describes U.S.–India ties as “defining for the 21st century”, it has approved substantial upgrade packages for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet — a move that reinforces long-standing Indian scepticism about Western reliability in security matters.

Against this backdrop, India’s reluctance to dilute its Russia partnership appears less ideological and more pragmatic. The summit conveyed that while India is expanding its options, it sees little incentive to abandon a partner that has consistently supported its core security interests.

In a world of shifting alliances and transactional diplomacy, Putin’s Delhi visit reaffirmed a central truth of Indian foreign policy: strategic autonomy is not about choosing sides, but about preserving choices.