India openly aligns with Putin's Russia

Russian dictator Putin visited India. As analyst Huma Siddiqui writes in the article Putin's India Trip Signals Distinct Strategic, Economic Reset in the influential Indian publication StratNews Global: «Putin's visit to New Delhi marks a pivotal moment for negotiations on security and payments, including discussions on expediting delivery of remaining S-2400 batteries, spare parts for India's fleet of Sukhoi fighter jets, and potential linkage between Russia's instant payment system SBP and India's UPI system».

It appears that India, sharply moving closer to the terrorist state – the Russian Federation, for the sake of dubious economic benefits from purchasing Russian oil at dumping prices, is publicly demonstrating its transition to the side of evil.

As Huma Siddiqui writes: «Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit New Delhi on December 4-5 for a state visit, also participating in the 23rd annual India-Russia summit, a meeting that both capitals now consider strategically important against the backdrop of India's tariff tensions with the United States, increased Western sanctions against Russia, and New Delhi's preparation to chair BRICS in 2026.

India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the date after preliminary reports from Moscow, defining what officials privately call a summit shaped not so much by tradition as by ongoing economic and geopolitical pressures facing the two partners».

Thus, by openly proclaiming partnership relations with the pariah state Russian Federation, India is abandoning its neutral position in Russia's war with Ukraine. Although it was clear before that New Delhi's «neutral» position was a fiction, and India, which never condemned Moscow for the unprovoked invasion of Ukrainian lands, had no intention of joining the West's support for democratic values.

And here one can say much about how India's position is determined by its historical ties with Russia and strategic interests, particularly in defense and energy spheres. But India's non-alignment policy, which once allowed it to maintain flexibility in international relations, is becoming a thing of the past. Now, by purchasing energy from the Russian Federation, India is helping Putin continue his bloody criminal war in Ukraine. 

Therefore, one cannot discount the obvious contradiction between India's geopolitical strategy and the vain expectations of Western countries, which until now believed there was a real chance to pull New Delhi out of Russia's orbit. Although from the beginning it should have been clear that India's silence after Muscovy's invasion of Ukraine was implicit support for the criminal actions of Putin's regime. And now, it seems, India is making its final choice.

Huma Siddiqui further notes: «In comments to Russian media, Putin called ties with India «special, stable and free from interstate friction», praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as «a balanced and nationally oriented leader», and emphasized that both sides must resolve long-standing logistical and payment obstacles to ensure effective trade.

His remarks heightened expectations for progress in financial architecture, especially regarding efforts to make Russia's Mir card and India's RuPay network compatible. Since Visa and Mastercard have been restricted in Russia since 2022, the Mir-RuPay corridor has become one of Moscow's most pressing priorities, and Indian officials say technical discussions have now «advanced» following Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar's meeting with Putin in Moscow. The two governments are also exploring a possible link between Russia's instant payment system SBP and India's UPI, a digital settlement bridge that would enable real-time transactions isolated from the Western sanctions system. 

For India, this move will strengthen RuPay's global ambitions and reinforce UPI's position as a model for international payments – an agenda that New Delhi intends to showcase during its BRICS chairmanship. In its statement, the MEA stated that leaders would review progress in defense, trade and security, while Moscow's statement emphasizes that «all aspects» of the partnership will be discussed».

It appears that Putin has managed to convince Indian leadership to help Russia evade international sanctions. And he is ready to officially consolidate this achievement during his visit to New Delhi. 

The hypocrisy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is simply off the charts, simultaneously showing that India is entering a dark era and is almost ready to join the axis of evil – the Russian Federation, China, North Korea and Iran.

By choosing the wrong allies, India is moving backward, but Modi, in order to remain in big politics, is ready for anything. Despite the fact that for a long time Indian leadership successfully imitated its rapprochement with the West, now it is ready to demonstrate to the whole world that India is better suited to the unsightly role of Putin's puppet. New Delhi's choice is very dubious, and the West must respond to it promptly.

It must be acknowledged that Narendra Modi has been bringing India closer to dictatorship year after year. After the visit of terrorist number one in the world – Putin – to India, we can quite say that at this stage of history, Modi, openly taking Russia's side, is blocking India's opportunity to join the free world.

According to the author of the article in StratNews Global: «Privately, officials acknowledge that this summit is special: India is reconsidering trade dependencies amid friction with the U.S., Russia needs stable economic corridors beyond China, and both countries are increasingly investing in parallel financial and technological systems that reduce the impact of global fragmentation.

On defense, India is expected to signal interest in additional S-400 air defense units following their performance during Operation Sindoor, although Russian hopes for reviving discussions on the Su-57 stealth fighter are unlikely to materialize. 

Reports indicate that the Indian side will focus on the fastest possible delivery of the two remaining S-400 batteries, as well as upgrades and spare parts needed for India's existing Sukhoi aircraft fleet. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the Russians promised to deliver the remaining two of five S-400 systems ordered in 2018 in the next financial year. «I don't want to talk about specific procurement decisions… 

I'm not going to talk about specific platforms, but we have a major defense program with them, including existing contracts that are delayed, «Singh said, speaking at a defense conclave organized by Asian News International (ANI). «There are a number of programs where there are delivery delays, which we will discuss with them and try to expedite. There are other major programs, such as Sukhoi modernization. Potentially, additional S-400 batteries are not ruled out, but don't expect any announcements during this meeting».

India's sharp drift toward Moscow is occurring against the backdrop of the West losing its influence and alliances with countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. The Kremlin's alliance with New Delhi is not some innocent event at all. By this, Moscow is openly demonstrating that it is ready to involve new partners in the axis of evil who will ignore all statements by Westerners, letting them pass by unheeded.

After the arrival of the modern Hitler – Putin – to India, it will hardly be logical to continue calling this country the world's largest democracy. This is war, and every country must decide whose side it is on. If you are for Putin, then stop pretending that you adhere to any international norms, laws and obligations.

And by continuing friendly relations with terrorists, India must acknowledge that it supports Russia's constant killing of Ukrainian civilians and their children, the destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure, and has nothing against the war unleashed by Moscow. And if you do not condemn the murderers of the Ukrainian people, it means you support them; there is no third option here.

As Huma Siddiqui emphasizes in her article: «Meanwhile, despite growing Russian oil supplies to India, the trade mechanism is strained due to shipping restrictions, insurance limitations, and growing surpluses of rupees stuck in Indian banks. Putin's recent comments about improving «logistics, financing and payments» suggest he expects concrete solutions from this round of negotiations, and energy industry representatives say both sides may consider new settlement paths or selective use of third-country currencies to reduce risks for Indian refineries. 

Beyond bilateral issues, India's upcoming BRICS chairmanship in 2026 is of great significance: Mir–RuPay–UPI–SBP proposals could serve as early models for broader BRICS financial cooperation as the group expands and experiments with alternative economic instruments. 

Amid shifting energy flows, broken supply chains and bifurcated financial systems, Putin's visit is shaping up as important negotiations on how India and Russia intend to move money, goods and develop action strategies in a more divided world order».

But moving toward sharp rapprochement with the Russian Federation, New Delhi should not forget that for India, its relations with the United States and the European Union are critically important. And without access to American technology markets, free use of VISA cards, and employment of programmers in the American labor market, it has a very difficult future. And the closure of American commodity trade will predictably lead to increased poverty.

If we consider India's interests in rapprochement with Russia, right now it's cheap oil. This is a short-term gain that could disappear at any moment when Russia can demand market prices. Weapons? Everyone has seen how ineffective Russian weapons have proven to be in field conditions. No serious armed forces will seek to buy weapons from the Russian Federation.

Russia's support in containing China? This is also not serious; Moscow will never help India if a new Sino-Indian conflict suddenly arises. All that remains are India's old grievances from the Cold War era and the consequences of British colonialism. These are problems of the 19th and 20th centuries that do not affect the future. A country that acts rationally in its interests should use current interests, not look to the past, pretending that it helps plan its future.

Obviously, at the moment, a weak and isolated Russia needs India more than India needs Russia. If India wants to create a bulwark against China, then its natural partners are in the West. At one time, the ambiguity of India's position during the Cold War put India on the losing side. Now New Delhi is repeating this again, but ultimately the loss may look even more dangerous. The Kremlin skillfully uses Prime Minister Modi for its propaganda purposes, saying that Russia is not isolated when India's prime minister has already come to Moscow as a supplicant.

Any claims that Russians are good friends and allies of Indians are pure fiction. When the USSR supposedly «supported» Indians, the Cold War was ongoing, and they used India as a counterbalance to US support for Pakistan. These were relationships based on mutually beneficial expectations, and they remain so today. Everything that concerned geopolitics then remains so now. India is shooting itself in the foot by being tied to this illegal imperial entity called Russia, which has turned territories seized from other peoples into a prison for them.

One cannot help but notice that Modi's foreign policy is aimed at establishing himself, at any cost, as a world leader, where his propaganda machine has achieved certain successes. And the main goal of the Indian premier is to eclipse Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in his country's history.

Narendra Modi's trips abroad are presented by compliant Indian media as if he has already achieved international recognition as the undisputed leader of the Global South. But if one carefully analyzes his foreign policy, he has caused India much harm. At the same time, his personality-based foreign policy has played into the hands of the PRC. And although China has not captured new territories during Modi's time, border tensions have increased, leading to an escalation of the situation.

Moreover, the West cannot perceive India as a serious economic or military power. Despite all efforts, it is still viewed as a developing country – a category to which it has been assigned since its founding. Modi is also not perceived on the international stage as a serious diplomatic player. Although he may see himself in this role, and Indian media promote this narrative for domestic audiences.

Narendra Modi wants to elevate India to «first nation» status in the world over the next 20-30 years. Despite the fact that India, by the size of its population, is capable of truly becoming the most populated state, there are many obstacles on the path to superpower status. As long as they cannot once and for all end the caste system, equalize the rights of men and women, and finally decide which side of history they are on, this dream will remain just a dream.

Until now, India had a very advantageous position. Since the West is looking for an alternative to China – a country that can produce goods inexpensively, India would benefit greatly from Western financial investments. If Modi sought to do everything possible to transform India into one of the world's leading economic and military powers, he should have renounced fraternization with Putin as quickly as possible and oriented himself not only toward America, but also toward Europe and the West as a whole.

The West seeks to exit China as quickly as possible. Western companies that have factories in the PRC are looking for other countries where they can open their enterprises, and India's candidacy was seriously considered here. But due to Prime Minister Modi's constant ties with Russia, the West has begun to reconsider this possibility. India is considered an unreliable partner. And these investments could help India in another important way – they would contribute to the fall of its enemy, China.

If India provided the West with places to relocate its plants and factories from China, China would cease to be an economic power. So India could win – its economy would grow, allowing it to achieve a higher level of employment. It would have the money to become truly influential in world affairs, and the Republic of India would destroy its adversary economically.

However, as long as it courts Russia, primarily for cheap oil and, as we see from the war in Ukraine, ineffective Russian military armaments, these investments will never come. And India will remain where it is now – a state with great potential but unimpressive indicators. Which is a direct consequence of the wrong choice being made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his closest circle.