When Modi meets Putin: 'Dear friends' engage in a delicate dance

Indian PM walks a tightrope as he seeks to balance ties with Russia and those with US

- Nirmala Ganapathy

Russian President Vladimir Putin drew Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi into a warm bear hug, referred to him as his "dearest friend", took him for a drive around his official residence of Novo-Ogaryovo on the outskirts of Moscow and had multiple meetings with him over Mr Modi's two-day visit to Russia.

The Indian Prime Minister, in turn, called the Russian strongman "my dear friend" and hailed Russia as a "partner in happiness and sorrow".

Yet, for Mr Modi, who chose Russia for his first trip after being sworn in for his third term of office, a complex strategic calculus lies behind the optics of this friendship, as he seeks to balance India's ties with Russia on the one hand and with the US on the other hand.

India has deepening ties with the US, which sees the South Asian country as a crucial strategic partner in its security blueprint for the Indo-Pacific amid the growing assertiveness of China, a common concern for both Washington and New Delhi.

India has so far refused to explicitly criticise Mr Putin for the Ukraine war, although Mr Modi told the leader when they met in 2022 that "today's time is not a time for war".

Underscoring the delicate diplomatic tightrope that New Delhi is treading, Mr Modi told Mr Putin he was pained by the deaths of children in war, a day after a children's hospital was hit during a deadly round of Russian air strikes on cities across Ukraine on July 8. At least 37 people were killed in the attacks.