India-Russia Strategic Relations

The United States of America (US) has created a global situation that is leading towards an unwanted political turmoil guided by the geo-strategic compulsions. The imposition of a total of 25 % tariff on India that includes a 25 % penalty for trading with Russia is absurd. It is tantamount to hegemonistic behavior meant to arm twist a democracy that upholds the highest traditions of human values. It is indeed a paradox that the US has not imposed penalties on the other nations that do business with Russia. By singling out India the US has forced the Indian strategic community to raise doubt on its intentions when it comes to relations with India. We have witnessed during the recent India-Pakistan conflict how the US tried to meddle and create a confusion. Not only that recent utterings of the Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir in which he allegedly threatened a nuclear blackmail perhaps due to desperation caused in the aftermath of the successful Operation Sindoor in which Indian gained the strategic upper hand by destroying the Pakistan sponsored terrorist camps in its territories and the occupied territories of Jammu and Kashmir that are under its illegal possession. In his usual irresponsible and dictatorial manner he   uttered “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”  Taking the nuclear threat of the Pakistani Army Chief head on, the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) spokesperson had said, “Our attention has been drawn to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff while on a visit to the United States. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade. The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which also reinforce the well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups.” What is shocking is that this statement from the Pakistani Army Chief came from the US soil that claims to be the Indian friend. The MEA spokesperson has rightly said, “It is also regrettable that these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country. India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail. We will continue to take all steps necessary to safeguard our national security.” The American plot seems to deepen and there is more than meets the eye. It is indeed surprising that in spite of terrorist threats that have affected the US, having roots in Pakistan; Washington is embracing Pakistan. In such a scenario, President Putin’s call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefing him about his summit with the US President Donald Trump in Alaska is an important development. This is a positive gesture and it signifies that the age-old ties between India and Russia are going strong and dependable. India cannot forget how in the times of Cold War the erstwhile USSR stood with India when the US led bloc cosied up with Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi has reiterated the India’s for the efforts meant for the peaceful resolution of the conflict with Ukraine. It is pertinent to mention that this was the second telephonic conversation between Modi Putin when India-US tariff war has seen escalation. In his social media post Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined that India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard and thanked President Putin for sharing insights about his recent meeting with the US president Trump. Prime Minister underlined India’s consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue. This interaction between the two leaders is an important move amid the desperate moves of the US. Only time will tell as to what will be the outcome of these interactions when the global economy and power calculus is fragile. But one thing is clear that the US tariff war has brought India and Russia strategically closer.