It was well known fact that India and Russia is the closest ally. India and Russia had a longstanding and multifaceted diplomatic relationship that spans several decades.
The relationship between the two countries has characterized by close political ties, defense cooperation, economic collaboration, and cultural exchanges. Recently some incidents had been occurred and on the basis of that question has been raised whether diplomatic relationship between both the countries will going to end?
Following are incidences which affects the relationship between Russia and India:
1. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting was held on 28th April 2023 and in the same meeting Russian defense minister has tagged QUAD group as Asian NATO. It was not the first instance where Russia took anti India stance; in 2016 SCO meet in Amritsar Russia not accepted the fact that India tagged Pakistan as a terror sponsor state.
2. Recently Russia has end rupee trade agreement with India. Russia suspends negotiations to settle trade in rupees.
3. Russia has directed discounted crude oil supply towards china over India. As per the sources Russia sells crude oil to the china in 70% discount rate.
4. As per Indian Airforce Russia will not delivered arms to India in future. Because of that India has shifted towards France and sees France as a substitute for arms.
5. Russia and China has shared geopolitical interests, economic cooperation, and military collaboration has deepened their ties. However, challenges and diverging priorities exist, necessitating careful management of their relationship. As the global geopolitical landscape evolves, the Russia-China partnership will continue to shape regional dynamics and influence international affairs.
Economically, Russia and China have expanded their trade and investment relations. China is now Russia’s largest trading partner, with significant bilateral trade in energy resources, including oil, gas, and coal. Both countries have also initiated infrastructure projects, such as the China-Russia East Pipeline, which enhances energy cooperation and strengthens economic ties. Additionally, Russia has looked to attract Chinese investments in various sectors, including technology, agriculture, and manufacturing. Chinese companies have shown interest in Russia’s vast market and resources, and the two countries have worked to enhance economic integration through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
On the same terms one more thing should be consider that Russia not only the major supplier of arms for china but also the technology provider for china. Russia shares there technology with the close ally China by using the same technology China can make the indigenous equipment or copy the equipment. On the other hand Russia only plays the role of supplier of arms for India and technology of making the equipment’s is not shared by Russia.
Both countries China and Russia are more interdependence to each other. China is more lucrative than India for Russia as India has non alignment policy. India has traded all over the world and trading portfolio of India is diversified. On the other side Russia is major importer of Chinese laptop and electronics. 40% percent of the laptops used in the Russia have imported from china.
6. If we look after in the history, during the Indo-China War of 1962, Russia (then known as the Soviet Union) provided some assistance to China. The Soviet Union had a good relationship with India at the time and had been supporting the Indian government with military aid. However, during the conflict between India and China, the Soviet Union chose not to directly get involved.
While the Soviet Union did offer some help to China, such as sharing intelligence and providing military equipment. The Soviet Union’s main focus during that period was to avoid direct conflict with the United States, as the war between India and China was happening during the Cold War.
It’s important to note that the Soviet Union’s support for China in the 1962 war strained its relationship with India to some extent. However, the Soviet Union continued to maintain diplomatic ties with both countries and later worked towards improving its relationship with India in the years after the conflict.
In summary, Russia (Soviet Union) did provide some assistance to China during the Indo-China War of 1962, but it did not play a major role in the war’s outcome. The conflict primarily remained between India and China, with limited external involvement.
7. Recently Russia has tie knot with enemy country of India that is Pakistan. In the recent time Russia and Pakistan has performed joint the military exercise for first time. Russia has been invested almost $2 Billion in the Pakistan. This move of Russia clearly against interest of India.
Effect of situations:
Effect of certain situations has looked into the new foreign polices framed. Now India is slightly lean towards USA. Some experts believe that this should have done earlier. Recently India and USA has performed joint military exercise in Bengaluru. The United States is actively pursuing India as a crucial defense partner by offering a substantial military aid package of $500 million, aiming to lessen India’s reliance on Russian weaponry and foster stronger defense collaboration.
Conclusion:
Geopolitical interests encompass the complex dynamics of power, geography, and international relations that shape the actions and policies of nations on the global stage. It can be quite interesting to see which countries are going to affect due to the situation and in what extend. The geopolitical situation of both the countries can affect world’s politics.