As India reels under punitive U.S. tariffs over its purchases of Russian oil, New Delhi is all set to host President Vladmir Putin for a two-day visit, signaling its determination to deepen ties with Moscow.
The visit indicates that India wants to “maintain its relations with Russia, especially at a time when it sees the United States as unreliable and China as hostile,” said Ian Bremmer, president and founder of political risk consultancy firm Eurasia Group.
Putin will be in India on Dec 4-5 for the 23rd India-Russia annual summit, with experts saying the two countries will extend their strategic and trade ties.
While this visit was planned before U.S.-India ties soured, it signifies that “New Delhi is not beholden to the whims of the Trump administration and that it maintains an independent foreign policy,” said Chietigj Bajpaee, senior research fellow for South Asia in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House.
Kremlin said last week that Putin’s visit was of “great importance” with the Russian president and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to discuss the “scope of Russia-India special and privileged strategic partnership in politics, trade and economy,” among other issues.
