Vladimir Putin has stated that India rightfully deserves a place among the world’s global superpowers, citing its rapidly growing economy as a key factor. Speaking at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, Putin emphasized that Russia is strengthening its relations with India across multiple sectors, with a high level of mutual trust in their bilateral ties. India has long maintained strong diplomatic, military, and economic relationships with Russia. As Prime Minister Modi highlighted during the September 2022 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, the two nations have always stood united.

Since much of the West isolated Russia after its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, trade has spiked, and India has made efforts to accommodate Moscow on the world stage. Moreover, India-Russia energy cooperation is likely to be a linchpin in the economic integration of Eurasia.

But this is an era of shifting global power balances, and India’s strategic tilt toward the West under Modi could eventually overtake its historically steady relationship with Russia. It is unlikely to do so immediately, but if India’s ties with the United States and Europe become more robust than its ties with Russia, it could signal that New Delhi is ready to forgo the benefits of a decades-long partnership.

In terms of the future, a Russian-Indian alliance would be an ideal way for the two countries to counter a rising China. They are both major powers in their respective regions and share common interests in promoting security and economic growth. However, the two nations have a variety of obstacles to overcome before they can build such an alliance.

For starters, Russia and India have different views of a multipolar world. While both believe in an Asia-led, anti-Western world order, their visions are mainly different, and they need to find common ground in achieving this goal.

Despite the recent uptick in political and economic exchanges, cultural and tourism links must be more robust. Moreover, the Indian public does not understand Russia’s politics and culture deeply. Further, the vast majority of Russian media outlets are Eurocentric and do a poor job of explaining India’s politics and policies to their audiences. This is all to say that unless Russia and India work to overcome these barriers, their current partnership will be limited to trade and energy ties and may not be able to withstand the test of a more strategic alignment.