To put it bluntly, unless the bilateral ties can move beyond arms sale/purchase, the phase of stasis will kick in sooner rather than later in India-Russia relations. Not only would the realities of the global balance of power shrink the robustness of the relationship over time, but, more crucially perhaps, a legacy relationship based on limited interaction might eventually lose the warmth given that there is little organic, people-to-people content to the relationship. Russia, no doubt, is a friend in need to India but Moscow’s friendship comes with limitations. And yet, let the ongoing flurry of activity between Moscow and New Delhi not blind us to the global forces that will pose formidable challenges for the partnership. Of all the diplomatic balancing acts India has to play in this milieu of geopolitical uncertainty, the one with Russia is the most significant.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin’s short visit to New Delhi and the inaugural 2+2 meeting between India and Russia - which is India’s fourth such engagement with another country - will help improve Moscow-New Delhi ties, currently fraying under the pressure of larger global power shifts.

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