India PM Modi to conclude Moscow visit
Indian PM Narendra Modi concludes his visit to Russia Today.
The visit, which lasted from July 8-9, is meant to reaffirm a longstanding diplomatic commitment between the two powers. This is Modi’s first visit to Russia in 5 years.
India is one of the two largest buyers of discounted Russian fuel, along with China, after the West has largely isolated Moscow and halted imports of Russian oil. Continued Indian commitment to trade with Russia has allowed Russia’s economy to continue onward in a limited capacity, fueling its efforts in Ukraine. Russia is also the largest exporter of arms to India, and their military partnership has drawn criticism from the West.
In the short term, this meeting will likely lead to reaffirmations of continued economic support from India and a possible expansion of energy trade. Russia views India as a ticket to realigning a Western-dominated international order in a different direction, and this meeting is symbolic of an Indian hard shift away from the USA in its normal hedging of relations between the East and West. Though India claims to see Russia as a means to correct a trade imbalance, the expanded partnership reads as insensitive during the Ukraine war. The growing India-Russia partnership may see more concern and ire from the USA about this visit and worsened overall relations between the USA and India.
