While there was an obvious tilt towards the United States during the last decade or so, India never let down its long-time and all-weather friend Russia, resisting all the pressure and temptations. Though there was a lot of hype about the Indo-US relationship, the Indo-Russia relationship continued to remain strong, may be in the background.
Credit goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for maintaining a balance during the Russia-Ukraine War and at no stage going against Russia, despite so much US pressure, something that has stood the country in good stead when faced with an unpredictable diplomatic challenge posed by an unpredictable US President Donald Trump.
Trump has actually done India a great favour by enabling it to redeem its friendship with the “all-weather friend” Russia. For about two decades now, India had gradually started tilting towards the United States although it had maintained a strong relationship with Russia.
This was summed up best by former US National Security Advisor and former close aide of Trump, John Bolton, who was quoted saying, “the hefty tariffs imposed on India by Donald Trump have resulted in the worst outcome for Washington, pushing New Delhi further away and undermining decades of American efforts to pull it from Russia and China.”
Trump by imposing unilateral, arbitrary, and punitive tariffs on India has only woken up the country to the rude shock that the United States cannot be a reliable partner. Something like Henry Kissenger once said, being an enemy of the United States is dangerous, but being friends can be fatal.
Traditionally, the Republican presidents in the US have always given preference to Pakistan over India. It was the Democrats who were more friendly with India in comparison to Pakistan. However, after 9/11 there was complete rethinking among the US policy makers who started realising and understanding India’s concerns about terrorism.
Since the disintegration of the USSR and its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia sort of retreated from everywhere. The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and unification of Germany led to the entire Europe inclining towards the US, and Russia stood marginalised while the United States emerged as a lone superpower. Russia’s place as the only superpower, which could challenge the US was taken by China. Although not a superpower, China is emerging as a very strong challenger to the US.
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Given India’s strained and tense relationship with China, the US was the only option to look forward to. This was coupled with the US policy of building India as a counterweight to China's growing military and strategic influence. India and the US came closer. In the process, the US completely sidelined Pakistan. India and Pakistan were once treated at a par by the US, in what used to be called a “hyphenated” approach towards “India-Pakistan”. When Pakistan got exposed for its open support to terrorism, India and Pakistan were finally “de-hyphenated” and India was viewed as an emerging power, which could challenge China’s hegemony.
Russia did continue to remain a friend and a strategic partner, the relationship between two long-term friends remained in the background while the Indo-US relationship came to the forefront. The visits by the US Presidents, including Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden provided further hype to the relationship.
Prime Minister Modi even campaigned for Trump in the US and also hosted him to a mega reception in Ahmedabad, something he must be regretting now after the brutal backstabbing by Trump with discriminatory and punitive tariffs.
It is not only with Russia that India seeks to revive its relationship, the country is recalibrating its relationship with China. It is high time to rethink our relationship with our eastern neighbour as there is no point and no benefit in starting any hostility with it. There are no doubt long-pending border issues, these can and will be sorted out in due course of time with mutual cooperation and understanding. It is not that China will turn dependable overnight, but once it realises that India is not partnering with the US against it, the country will also rethink its stand. China, after all, has displayed a pragmatic foreign policy.
Coming back to the Indo-Russian relationship, the two countries have always enjoyed close bonds. During the Cold War, while India technically maintained a “non-aligned” stance by actively participating and leading the non-alignment movement, it effectively sided with Russia. Russia also reciprocated in due measure.
When the US deputed Seventh Fleet in the Bay of Bengal during the 1971 India-Pakistan War, the USSR stood by India by deputing an aircraft carrier. The foundation of the Indo-Russian relationship lies in the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation signed in August 1971. That treaty has withstood many challenges. It is still working.
After the disintegration of the USSR in 1990, India and Russia continued their strategic partnership, “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”, which was signed in 2010. The two countries are maintaining close cooperation in defence, energy, trade, and diplomacy. Russia continues to remain India’s largest defence equipment supplier, something that is irking and irritating Trump.
As a true friend, and unlike Trump, Russia has always appreciated and understood India’s situation in getting closer to the US. Despite India’s growing proximity with the US till the recent past, Russia remained and continues to remain India’s great friend.
Even in the Russia-Ukraine War, while India tried to maintain a balanced position, the tilt was obviously and understandably in favour of Russia, and it was not lost on anyone. It was worth it, as it turned out to be.
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