Old and strong: On India-Russia ties

India and Russia seem keen on renewing ties in a changed world

The importance of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Russia this week can be gleaned (to collect information in small amounts). from the special effort New Delhi and Moscow have made to make the meetings successful and productive. For India, at the end of a year of prolific (producing a great number or amount of something) diplomacy (the management of relationships between countries), a five-day visit would seem unusually long, particularly as the Kremlin leadership normally does not see high-level foreign visits at all in this period right before its holiday season. It is equally unusual for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet lower-ranking foreign officials, as he did while meeting Mr. Jaishankar. The warmth (a friendly and enthusiastic quality in someone or something) was significant (the quality of being worthy or important) given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has skipped (to leave one thing or place, especially quickly, to go to another) the annual leadership summit, an unbroken tradition from 2000-21, for two years now, leading to speculation (the activity of guessing possible answers to a question without having enough information to be certain) about the health of the India-Russia relationship after the Ukraine war. While India took care not to criticise (to express disapproval of someone or something) Russia, worries over the flagging of defence supplies, continued issues over paying Russia for imports in third currencies, and the general decline in other bilateral (involving two groups or countries) engagements have persisted. It is clear that a large part of Mr. Jaishankar’s mission was to smooth over the perception (a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem) of differences. The resultant agreements, pertaining (to be connected with a particular subject, event, or situation) to furthering collaboration (the situation of two or more people working together to create or achieve the same thing) in future Kudankulam nuclear power projects, fostering (to encourage the development or growth of ideas or feelings) connectivity, trade and resuming (to start something again after a pause or period) talks for the Eurasian Economic Union-India free trade agreement, and joint military production indicate that bilateral relations are on track. So is multilateral cooperation, especially as Russia plans to host the expanded BRICS summit next year, and India and Russia continue to coordinate (to make many different things work effectively as a whole) positions at the UN and SCO. Mr. Jaishankar’s announcement that imports of Russian hydrocarbons will continue to rise despite the West’s Russian sanctions (to formally permit something), indicated the strength of ties that continue “regardless of political fluctuations (a change, or the process of changing, especially continuously between one level or thing and another)”.

Mr. Jaishankar’s affirmation that the annual leadership summit will be resumed in 2024, appeared to signify that both sides are working to eliminate any static in the relationship. His statement that the India-Russia relationship was the ‘only constant in world politics’ over the last six decades would not have gone unnoticed (without being seen or noticed) especially in Washington and Beijing, given some of the friction (disagreement or dislike caused by people having different opinions) in India-U.S. relations over the Pannun investigation, as well as U.S. President Joseph Biden’s decision not to accept Mr. Modi’s invitation for Republic Day, while India-China relations have ended another year in impasse (a situation in which progress is impossible, especially because the people involved cannot agree) over the military standoff. It remains to be seen whether the bonhomie (good-natured easy friendliness) will yield concrete movement on the rupee-rouble payment mechanism, or on expediting (to make something happen more quickly)  the delayed delivery of S-400 air system units. However, the larger import of his visit, and his words that the “geopolitical and strategic convergence (the fact that two or more things, ideas, etc. become similar or come together)” between India and Russia in a multipolar (involving several countries having most of the power) world that is “rebalancing (to make things equal again, so that no part has too much importance, weight, or force)”, will be watched most closely by votaries (a person or group who strongly supports a particular cause or person)and critics of the relationship.

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