Putin Basks in Praise From Modi on India Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India praised his “deep and unbreakable relationship” with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia after they held talks in India on Friday against the backdrop of strained ties between New Delhi and Washington.
Mr. Modi and Mr. Putin pledged deeper cooperation in defense, trade and energy, underscoring the important strategic ties between the two countries.
Mr. Modi lauded Mr. Putin’s “leadership and foresight” after a number of bilateral agreements were signed, and he added, “Humanity has gone through many challenges but ties between Russia and India have been like the North Star.”
Mr. Putin’s visit to India, his first since the full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, serves to underline that Russia has not turned into a total global pariah despite extensive sanctions and an indictment by the International Criminal Court. India and Russia have been friends for decades, going back to the Soviet era.
For Mr. Modi, the partnership is a way to show that India has not abandoned its policy of “strategic autonomy” and is pursuing partners based on self-interest. He had spent years cultivating closer ties with the United States but instead found his country entangled in a geopolitical battle involving Russia’s war on Ukraine. The Trump administration has doubled tariffs on goods from India to 50 percent after accusing New Delhi of helping Moscow to finance the war through oil trading. More recent Western sanctions on Russian oil companies have nearly halted India’s imports of the fuel.
After a ceremonial welcome in New Delhi on Thursday evening, where Mr. Modi greeted Mr. Putin at the airport with a handshake and a hug, the two leaders had an informal dinner at the Indian prime minister’s official residence. On Friday, Mr. Putin laid a wreath at the Gandhi memorial before starting one-on-one talks with Mr. Modi.
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