India Should Put Up Resistance
Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(Germany) on 5 August 2025
by Nikolas Busse (link to
original)
New Delhi doesn’t think about foreign policy much differently from the White House: It’s focused primarily on its own advantage. And Russia is an old partner of the country.
Several American presidents have struggled with India. The old idea of turning the country into an ally against China is sensible because the two Asian superpowers have diverse conflicts and are strategic rivals, certainly on their continent and potentially beyond it as well.
But this was always a complicated calculation because of Russia. India had already built up close relations with Moscow in the time of the Soviet Union because it is also a counterweight to China. The close armaments cooperation between India and Russia was a consequence of this. It is still substantial, even if today India buys more weapons from the West.
Enticed by Cheap Oil
Trump now has the additional problem that Vladimir Putin has successfully enticed India with cheap oil. New Delhi doesn’t think about foreign policy much differently from the White House: It’s concerned primarily with its own advantage, which in the question of Ukraine amounts to a neutral position.
The initial reactions to Trump’s tariff threats do not signal a fundamental change in opinion in Indian leadership, but it will ultimately have to consider that the U.S. market is important for India. Still, a nuclear power that is in an economic upturn can tend to put up more resistance than the likes of Europe.
Several American presidents have struggled with India. The old idea of turning the country into an ally against China is sensible because the two Asian superpowers have diverse conflicts and are strategic rivals, certainly on their continent and potentially beyond it as well.
But this was always a complicated calculation because of Russia. India had already built up close relations with Moscow in the time of the Soviet Union because it is also a counterweight to China. The close armaments cooperation between India and Russia was a consequence of this. It is still substantial, even if today India buys more weapons from the West.
Enticed by Cheap Oil
Trump now has the additional problem that Vladimir Putin has successfully enticed India with cheap oil. New Delhi doesn’t think about foreign policy much differently from the White House: It’s concerned primarily with its own advantage, which in the question of Ukraine amounts to a neutral position.
The initial reactions to Trump’s tariff threats do not signal a fundamental change in opinion in Indian leadership, but it will ultimately have to consider that the U.S. market is important for India. Still, a nuclear power that is in an economic upturn can tend to put up more resistance than the likes of Europe.
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