Russia is a strategic friend, PM will visit as planned, comments of others meaningless
Russia has been a friend since long and the friendship got cemented in 1971 and its full force was amply demonstrated when Nixon tried to intimidate a non nuclear India with its nuclear weapons armed Carrier Combat Group led by USS Enterprise.
Recently there has been news of India and Russia making arrangements for an upcoming visit by PM Modi to Russia. Russian Foreign Policy Adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed the development, Russia-based RIA Novosti reported.
When the visit takes place, it will be PM Modi’s second trip to Russia since 2019, and also the first since the start of the Russia’s conflict with Ukraine in February 2022. Putin last visited New Delhi in 2021 for the annual India-Russia Summit. Due to ongoing conflict, Presidential elections in Russia and the General Elections in India, the said summit has not taken place for year 2022 and 2023.
Yuri Ushakov said, “I can confirm that we are preparing a visit by the Prime Minister of India. We cannot yet (say) the dates, because the parties announce the dates in agreement. But we are actively preparing, I will emphasize once again, and this visit will take place.”
PM Modi had last met Putin on the side-lines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit at Samarkand in Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022. At that time Modi had called for both parties in the conflict to follow the path of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that they have seen reports claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia in July. However, he refused to comment on the development until the visit was publicly confirmed by the two governments.
Miller knows fully well that his comments will be meaningless and may just end annoying India. After all India does not take clearance from others to pursue its independent foreign policy which will always be India Centric.
PM Narendra Modi took the oath as Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive term on June 9. “The Russian President warmly congratulated Narendra Modi on the success of the Bhartiya Janata Party in the recent general parliamentary elections,” the Russian President’s office said in an official statement earlier.
India has growing economic and security ties with the US and other key Western players. However India is not going to ditching long term strategic friend under any circumstances.
India has continued and will keep purchasing Russian crude despite initial pressure from the US, as such a move is required in India’s national interest. Though India will continue to advocate both Russia and Ukraine for a cessation of hostilities in the ongoing conflict and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy to find a lasting solution.
