India-Russia relations without illusions
As Moscow deepens ties with China and courts Pakistan, India must engage Russia with clear eyes and calibrated realism
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 "Kanti Bajpai")
 "Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (left) speaking in New Delhi in November 1973. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is seated alongside (Photo: Russian Embassy in India)")
Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (left) speaking in New Delhi in November 1973. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is seated alongside (Photo: Russian Embassy in India)
With Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India on December 4 and 5, we need an unvarnished view of the India-Russia relationship even as the red carpet was rolled out for him. Russia has been a strategic partner in varying degrees. Having said that, India must avoid romanticising the bilateral relationship. Russia looks at India with cold, calculating eyes, and we need to return the gaze in equal measure. Russia is not sentimental about India, nor should India be about Russia. Over nearly 80 years, it and its predecessor, the Soviet Union, has never been as constant a strategic
Written By
Kanti Bajpai
The author is visiting professor, international relations, Ashoka University. Views expressed are personal
 "Kanti Bajpai")
First Published: Dec 10 2025 | 8:30 AM IST
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