On Wednesday, Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov walked the talk as the two sides agreed on the expansion of Russian hydrocarbon exports to India and cooperation in nuclear energy. This reaffirmation of ties may seem odd to zero-sum gamers, who see New Delhi warming up to Washington like never before. But the India-Russia relationship needs to be understood in the context of China and the challenges India, a low-middle-income country with a growing economy and a significant development deficit, faces as it tries to find its place on the global high table.
For India, Russia is a reliable counterbalance against China, despite (read: because of) Moscow’s closeness to Beijing. And despite increasing its focus on domestic defence production and other country sources, India still needs Moscow’s extra support for at least a couple of decades. The Ukraine war increased oil prices, forcing Russia to sell oil at a discount. India could not – rightly – resist the offer.
India is big enough to be in the big boys’ playground, but not yet big enough to get the ball. This reality, not principles – be it non-alignment or ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ – mediates India’s engagements with the world. It means New Delhi must have friends on its side, and frenemies in its sight. As Lavrov reminded everyone willing to listen on Wednesday, India-Russia cooperation is ‘of a strategic nature’. Hindi-Rusi still bhai-bhai in the larger, growing comity of New Delhi’s allies, if you will.
