To balance China, India charts new foreign policy path
When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September to publicly criticize Russia’s war in Ukraine – “Today’s era is not of war,” Mr. Modi said – Washington and other Western capitals cheered the show of independence from Moscow.
But Mr. Modi struck an equally independent stance when the Biden administration sought India’s condemnation of Russia over Ukraine at the United Nations. In a similar fashion, India has stood firm as the United States has ramped up pressure on India to stop buying Russian oil. In fact, Russia moved up several notches to become India’s top oil supplier in October, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
These events and more suggest how India’s vision of its role in the world is changing, as it rises from its longtime status
