Indian Prime Minister will visit Russia to check whether Western sanctions are harming it – WSJ

Indian Prime Minister will visit Russia to check whether Western sanctions are harming it – WSJ Sofia Rozhik

Indian Prime Minister goes to Moscow/Collage 24 Channel

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to visit Russia next week. With his visit, he wants to show Putin that India is interested in maintaining good relations with the Kremlin.

The Indian Prime Minister wants to check whether Western sanctions “are not “They're squeezing Russia's neck too hard.” He will arrive in the aggressor country on Monday, July 8.

They fear for Indian-Russian ties

Modi will arrive in Moscow for the first time in the last 5 years. This will also be the first face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin since the fall of 2022.

Russia and India have had close ties dating back to the Cold War. The Soviet Union became India's main military supplier. But in recent years, shared concerns about the rise of China have prompted the US and India to move closer, wrote the WSJ.

By the way, Modi has already met with both Joe Biden and Vladimir Zelensky . This was during the G7 summit in Italy in June 2024.

“There were some concerns that Indo-Russian ties had deteriorated due to Western pressure. The visit would quell those speculations,” said former Indian foreign minister and former Indian ambassador to Russia Kanwal Sibal.

Also, India probably wants to make sure, or because of the sanctions, the Russians “didn’t have to put all their eggs in the Chinese basket.” Thus, the Indian side is concerned about the rapprochement between Russia and China. The latter is India's main geopolitical and military enemy. The WSJ notes that India can offer an alternative to Western sanctions, which, according to the Indian authorities, have contributed to the rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing.

By maintaining friendly relations with the aggressor country, India is confident , which can stand up to its powerful Chinese neighbor.

It will be impossible to contain China in Asia if Russia becomes China's junior partner, said the head of the Eurasia program at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi Nandan Unnikrishnan.

Modi will ask for the return of Indians from the war in Ukraine< /h2>

Also, according to Reuters, the Indian prime minister may ask for the early release of his citizens who were “misled” into serving in the Russian army.

Over the past few months, there have been several cases where Indians were lured to Russia with promises of lucrative jobs or education, and in return they ended up fighting in a war against Ukraine. Indian police even arrested four people in May 2024 who are associated with a human trafficking network that was recruiting Indians for the war in Ukraine.

At the same time, on the Russian-Ukrainian At least four Indian citizens have already died in the war. According to some reports, approximately 30 to 40 Indians may still serve in the Russian army.