Oil, weapons and realpolitik: Why some countries want to stay on friendly terms with Russia

Russia supplies about 60 percent of the weapons and equipment for India’s military, the cornerstone of a decades-long friendly relationship between Moscow and Delhi. Experts say that explains in part why India has used muted language in response to the war in Ukraine, avoiding sharp criticism of Russia and urging a diplomatic solution. India also avoided criticizing Russia after its seizure of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

“I think Indian strategists calculate that they cannot afford to alienate Russia,” said Lisa Curtis, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank who served on the White House National Security Council from 2017 to 2021.

India has tried to buy more military gear from the United States and other countries in recent years, but it remains dependent on Russia, Curtis said. Viewing both neighboring Pakistan and China as adversaries, India is increasingly concerned about Moscow’s deepening ties with Beijing.

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