India Remains a Critical Geopolitical Partner for Putin: Analyst

Spread love

Analyst Douglas Herbert tells The World Today that despite a sharp dip in Russian oil imports, India remains a critical geopolitical and economic partner for Vladimir Putin.

By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk

New Delhi, December 4, 2025 —India is a crucial strategic partner for Russia, said geopolitical analyst Douglas Herbert as Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening for an official visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Putin at the airport.

Herbert said that India sharply reduced its crude oil purchases from Russia last month after adjustments to Western sanctions. But he added that the dip is unlikely to be permanent as Moscow looks to rebuild energy and defence ties with one of its most important global partners.

Speaking to The World Today, Herbert said that Russian oil imports into India had seen a clear decline following the latest sanctions recalibration. “Imports now from Russia — a third of them — have gone down. India last month really bought almost no oil from Russia after those sanctions were adjusted,” Herbert noted. However, he added that Russia would “find ways to ramp those up again.”

Herbert pointed out that beyond oil, India and Russia continue to be linked through multiple energy and defence deals, which remain strategically significant for both sides. “There are a lot of those right now,” he said, indicating that the relationship extends far beyond short-term fluctuations in crude purchases.

Highlighting India’s economic and demographic weight, Herbert said Russia cannot afford to lose New Delhi as a partner. “Look, India is a market of about 1.4 billion people. It has a fast-growing economy at around 8%. Those are not statistics you can sneeze at if you’re Vladimir Putin,” he said.

With Russia facing intense global isolation over the ongoing Ukraine war, Herbert said India has become even more critical for Moscow. “Up against a geopolitical corner right now with the war in Ukraine, being considered a pariah by much of the Western world, India is a giant geopolitical partner. You need it more than ever,” he added.

The comments come against the backdrop of tightening Western scrutiny of Russian energy flows and efforts to block indirect sanction circumvention through third countries. While India has defended its right to procure energy based on national interest, recent adjustments in compliance mechanisms appear to have temporarily affected import volumes.

Analysts believe that while short-term disruptions may continue, India–Russia energy and defence engagement is unlikely to weaken structurally, given mutual strategic dependence and shifting global power balances amid the Ukraine conflict.

Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn