by John Helmer, Moscow 
  @bears_with

Shortly there will be a new summit meeting in India between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin.

Just how shortly isn’t decided. India press reports claim the meeting will take place in March. The latest Russian Foreign Ministry statement indicates that preparations are under way for “the planned Russian-Indian summit to be held this year.”  

Last week, on February 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, for the two officials to brief each other on the Russian meetings with the US in Riyadh two days earlier;    and Modi’s meetings with President Donald Trump and other US officials in Washington on February 14.  

A well-informed Indian source believes that Modi and Jaishankar are downplaying the Indian role as a peacemaker between Russia and the US so as “not to step on Trump’s ego. Modi told Trump that he supports peacemaking efforts by him. At the same time, Modi does not want to again earn the wrath of Europeans and he has no intention of ruining his relationship with [French President Emmanuel] Macron or others in Europe. The Indians have no intention of falling on a Russian sword. The most sensible thing to do is to distance themselves from all this drama in Washington, Paris, Brussels, and Moscow.”

In Chennai (Madras) Lieutenant General (retired) Palepu Ravi Shankar is a leading analyst of India’s strategic options and opportunities in the present conflicts between Russia and the US, and between the US and China. He publishes his analyses in podcasts and papers on his website, Gunners Shot.  

This week General Shankar and I discussed the Ukraine war and the current end-of-war debates from the Russian and the Indian perspectives. For the hour-long podcast, click to listen.

Two years ago, in February 2023, General Shankar and I began our discussion with this assessment of the Special Military Operation.   

Source: https://johnhelmer.net/
A sequel, with comments from a NATO veteran, appeared here.  

The most recent Indian meetings in Washington this month were analysed here.  

Source: https://johnhelmer.net/

by Editor - Thursday, February 27th, 2025