– I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues, Modi said when he arrived in Moscow on Monday followingnoon.
– We want to play a supporting role for a peaceful and stable region, he said further.
The Moscow visit is a demanding balancing act for Modi, who is trying to maintain India’s long-standing relationship with Russia while working for closer ties with the West.
Russia remains a key supplier of cheap oil and arms to India, but the Kremlin’s isolation from the West and blossoming friendship with China have affected cooperation with the Indians.
In recent years, Western powers have also cultivated relations with India, which is seen as a bulwark once morest China and its growing influence in Asia and the Pacific. At the same time, they have put pressure on the country to distance itself from Russia.
The last time Modi was in Russia was in 2019. Two years later, he hosted Putin in New Delhi, just a few weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
India has yet to explicitly condemn the Russian invasion and has abstained from voting on UN resolutions censuring Russia.
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2024-07-09 09:52:15
