Narendra Modi, India, Russia, Vladimir Putin, China, Xi Jinping, Oil Business | The Guardian
Building bridges to Russia plays to India’s strategic interest, which is to insert itself between Beijing and MoscowIf bear-hugging a murderous autocrat is not your idea of a sensible foreign policy, then you aren’t thinking like the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. His fraternising with Vladimir Putin this week has included a private welcome at the latter’s sprawling estate outside Moscow, a lavish dinner and even a happy ride-around in an e-cart.During the frivolities, Russia launched another series of airstrikes on targets in Ukraine, destroying a children’s hospital in Kyiv. But Modi would not let that derail the summit. He is playing for higher stakes. Modi knows well how to opportunistically turn someone else’s war to his advantage. His objective, after all, is to raise India’s profile – and his own – in the hope of becoming an indispensable power, one equally courted by democrats and dictators.Sergey Radchenko is Wilson E Schmidt distinguished professor at the Henry A Kissinger Center, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in BaltimoreDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading…
Building bridges to Russia plays to India’s strategic interest, which is to insert itself between Beijing and Moscow
If bear-hugging a murderous autocrat is not your idea of a sensible foreign policy, then you aren’t thinking like the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. His fraternising with Vladimir Putin this week has included a private welcome at the latter’s sprawling estate outside Moscow, a lavish dinner and even a happy ride-around in an e-cart.
During the frivolities, Russia launched another series of airstrikes on targets in Ukraine, destroying a children’s hospital in Kyiv. But Modi would not let that derail the summit. He is playing for higher stakes. Modi knows well how to opportunistically turn someone else’s war to his advantage. His objective, after all, is to raise India’s profile – and his own – in the hope of becoming an indispensable power, one equally courted by democrats and dictators.
Sergey Radchenko is Wilson E Schmidt distinguished professor at the Henry A Kissinger Center, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Baltimore
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.