Balancing acts

Indo-Russian summit yielded more signalling than substantive gain

Although much significance has been attached to the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi is only the second time he has ventured out of his country since the Covid-19 pandemic broke in early 2020, the broad outcomes of the first-ever 2+2 dialogue ironically reflected the sub-text of the US-China superpower rivalry. To be sure, the leaders of both countries had no reason to be dissatisfied with the summit, not least because it offered Moscow and New Delhi the opportunity to signal with statements their ambit of independent manoeuvre. Mr Putin referred to India as a great