New Delhi [India], December 4 (ANI): West Asia strategist Waiel Awwad said on Thursday that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent message urging an end to the Russia-Ukraine war resonates with President Vladimir Putin during his upcoming state visit, it could significantly ease growing U.S. tensions with India over energy imports and trade tariffs.
Speaking ahead of Putin’s two-day state visit, Awwad noted that Washington has threatened tariffs on Indian imports, particularly in response to India’s energy purchases from Moscow amid the ongoing conflict. He added that India has sharply reduced its intake of Russian oil under U.S. pressure.
He said that bringing the conflict to an end would give India greater room to manage its energy ties while strengthening domestic manufacturing.
“India also has to present its view of the Ukraine war, which India has already been saying. The Prime Minister has said many times that this is not an era of war, and he wants to end the Russia-Ukraine war. If that message goes well with President Putin, especially when the United States is also using its diplomatic channels to pressure Putin and Zelenskyy to agree to the peace plan, that will ease the tension on India,” Awwad said.
“India has also noticed that the American tariff has been threatening India, especially in the energy sector, where India has sharply reduced purchases from Russia while they are buying from the U.S. If this war is put to an end, then India will be more comfortable, not only in buying Russian oil but also in making ‘Make in India’ more successful,” he added.
Describing Russia as India’s “faithful strategic partner” for more than seven decades, Awwad stressed that New Delhi must use Putin’s visit to firmly present its independent stance on the Ukraine conflict.
“Russia is considered by India not only as a strategic partner but also a faithful one. Over the last seven decades, we have seen that Russian involvement in Indian affairs has always been pro-India… India has to utilize the opportunity of the visit of the Russian President,” he said.
India has consistently maintained that the Russia-Ukraine conflict must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, with PM Modi frequently emphasizing that “this is not an era of war.”
Putin is set to arrive in New Delhi on Thursday evening for a two-day state visit and will participate in the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. This will be his first visit to India since the conflict began in 2022; his last visit was in December 2021.
According to the Kremlin, the Russian delegation will hold comprehensive discussions with India on cooperation across political, economic, scientific, technological, cultural, and humanitarian spheres. Current international and regional issues will also be discussed, TASS reported.
Russian state media said that 10 intergovernmental documents and more than 15 agreements and memorandums between commercial and non-commercial entities are being prepared for signing. Joint press statements will follow the talks.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Putin’s visit will allow the leadership of both countries to review progress in bilateral relations, outline a vision for strengthening the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
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