India’s Double Game with Russia: Peace Rhetoric vs Record Oil Trade

Modi told Putin in Bishkek that the Ukraine war must end – days after India and Russia expanded trade, energy, and defense ties. This piece examines the gap between India’s peace rhetoric and its deepening reliance on Russian oil, its emerging role as a fuel supplier to Moscow, unresolved rupee-trade imbalances, and new transit corridors built to keep commerce flowing regardless of Western sanctions – arguing India’s leverage over Russia goes largely unused.