Author: JEFF SCHUBERT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given Russian President Vladimir Putin a very warm welcome to India – as he should! India needs to maintain its historical friendship with Russia (the main survivor of the Soviet Union) because Russia is probably its most reliable major international partner. This is important because India is essentially alone in the world with two less than friendly countries with powerful militaries – Pakistan and China – on its borders.This does not mean that Russia will assist India in any military conflict, but Russia will seek to calm things down if possible because it sees advantages…

At the just-concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, India, Russia and China increasingly find themselves sharing the same table, signalling tactical convergence in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. Their cooperation within this Eurasian forum has rekindled speculation: could these three giants, despite deep mistrust, form a genuine strategic alliance? Russian President Vladimir Putin would love to see an India-Russia-China alliance. While he would like Russia to have a better relationship with the United States, he will not sacrifice his ambitions in Ukraine to achieve this. That ensures China will remain Russia’s most important bilateral partner for the foreseeable future. In…