India-Russia: News & Analysis

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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by banrjeer »

Guddu wrote:Seeing how much Russia is dependent on China to survive the Uk. war sanctions, going forward their ability to help India visa vis China may be now severely compromised.
It's the opposite.

They Ru have to hedge both ways otherwise they will be swallowed by CN. Unkil will attempt carrot stick on both IN/CN.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Karan M »

Rahul M wrote:Karan, this needs to be posted in every relevant thread. Unfortunately getting very difficult to justify the apathy in decision making.
Thank you. Some level of accountability should be expected from a Govt we all voted for and support. The level of dysfunction and apathy towards capacity building though is extremely distressing. We saw that in Wave 1, 2 and now 3. There seems to be a terrific chalta hain attitude in place under the assumption social justice sops and some cultural nationalism etc will swing enough voters and this is an exercise that can be repeated in perpetuity. I think its high time a feedback mechanism was in place, lest it become another UPA style echo chamber singimg hosannas 24/7 while more and more ppl get upset, and ultimately show it at the voting booth.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Yagnasri »

Rahul M wrote:Karan, this needs to be posted in every relevant thread. Unfortunately getting very difficult to justify the apathy in decision making.
I think further discussions we carry on in 2020 Strategic and Political Analysis-1 sir.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Cyrano »

May be we should have a separate thread "Reforms, Policies and Governance for 21st century Bharat" , to avoid clutter of routine political happenings muddle this important topic, with Karan's post as the first in the new thread.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by g.sarkar »

https://www.rediff.com/news/report/russ ... 220330.htm
Russian foreign minister Lavrov to arrive in India tomorrow
PTI, March 30, 2022

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be on a two-day official visit to India from Thursday, his first trip to the country since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine last month.
The ministry of external affairs issued a one-line statement to announce the visit.
"Foreign minister of the Russian Federation, Mr Sergey Lavrov will pay an official visit to New Delhi on 31 March -1 April 2022," it said.
The focus of Lavrov's visit to New Delhi is expected to be on India's purchase of discounted Russian crude oil and putting in place a rupee-ruble payment system for bilateral trade in view of the Western sanctions against Moscow, people familiar with the development said.
In the talks, India is also likely to press for ensuring timely delivery of various military hardware as well as components of the S-400 missile systems by Russia. Lavrov began a two-day visit of China on Wednesday primarily to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of countries bordering Afghanistan that has been convened by Beijing to discuss the Afghan crisis.
He is expected to arrive in New Delhi on Thursday evening after concluding his visit to China.
The Russian foreign minister's visit to India coincides with that of US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and German Foreign and Security Policy Advisor Jens Plotner. Truss will visit India on March 31 while Singh is visiting India from March 30-31. Plotner is visiting India on Wednesday. The British foreign secretary is set to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India. EU Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific Gabriele Visentin visited New Delhi this week. US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and foreign ministers of Austria and Greece were also in India last week.
.....
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Dilbu »

Russia offers oil to India at steep discount of $35 a barrel to pre-war price
The sanctions-hit nation is offering its flagship Urals grade to India at discounts of as much as $35 a barrel on prices before the war to encourage India to lift more shipments, according to.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by isubodh »

Dilbu wrote:Russia offers oil to India at steep discount of $35 a barrel to pre-war price
The sanctions-hit nation is offering its flagship Urals grade to India at discounts of as much as $35 a barrel on prices before the war to encourage India to lift more shipments, according to.
It would be distress sale of crude already on way and shipment canceled while midway.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Cyrano »

Whatever it is, we should take all we can, especially if its delivery and shipping insurance included price.

GoI should incorporate an overseas oil company PSU and buy whatever stakes it can in Russian oilfields from Shell, BP etc. and then supply it to IOC, BhP etc. in the long term. Ditto for other mineral and metal resources. If we don't, China will grab everything.

Then ramp up exports to Russia and settle overall import-exports in a kind of barter system and pay the excess if any in Roubles.

Doesn't contradict any international law afaik.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by vinod »

Cyrano wrote: Doesn't contradict any international law afaik.
International law? :rotfl:

It's unkil who gets upset. He is the law. He will threaten India at some point. We need to wait and see when it will be. Till that time, India can try and push boundaries.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by g.sarkar »

https://www.rediff.com/news/report/russ ... 220331.htm
Russian FM Lavrov arrives in India amid Ukraine war
PTI - Edited By: Utkarsh Mishra, March 31, 2022

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in India on Thursday on a two-day official visit, his first trip to the country since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine last month.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Lavrov will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Friday.
A media advisory on Lavrov's visit issued by the Ministry of External Affairs has not mentioned any meeting between the Russian foreign minister and the prime minister.
People familiar with the preparations for the talks said India is also likely to press for ensuring timely delivery of various military hardware as well as components of the S-400 missile systems by Russia.
The Russian foreign minister arrived in India after concluding a two-day visit of China.
His visit to India coincides with that of US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
......
Gautam
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Cyrano »

Something more than just Russian oil is at stake it seems - something that cannot wait...
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by rsingh »

I think we have to avoid PMs meeting with UK FS citing pre-arranged engagement with Bastar adiwasis :mrgreen:
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Cyrano »

Foreign FS meeting PM is going beyond protocol, one has to earn it. Modi can be in the next room and not meet her.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by sanjaykumar »

It’s likely Lavrov will meet Modi but not Truss.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Manish_P »

Cyrano wrote:Foreign FS meeting PM is going beyond protocol, one has to earn it. Modi can be in the next room and not meet her.
Reminds me of the Yes, Prime Minister 'Waiting Room' bit :)
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by g.sarkar »

Meeting between Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and EAM S Jaishankar is currently underway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iqJuX1Kc9s
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by chetak »

rsingh wrote:I think we have to avoid PMs meeting with UK FS citing pre-arranged engagement with Bastar adiwasis :mrgreen:
why explain at all.

The meeting is being held in India and the Indian MEA controls it.

Anyways, such meetings are never spur of the moment. Requests are usually made in advance and the answer is already known to all concerned.

agenda points for the meetings are also exchanged in advance so that there are no nasty surprises to embarrass any one.

daleep singh may have thought that, desi to desi, he would definitely meet Modi breaking protocol, after all, he is representing a sooper dooper power, is he not

Once some rash things are said in any meeting, especially at the PM level, things cannot thereafter be "unsaid" Certain actions are mandatory by protocol, and bound to follow, and consequences will result.

It is as much the responsibility of the host country to maintain decorum, as it is for the visitors not to precipitate a crisis

daleep singh comes across as a uncultured buffoon, deliberately picked to offend and intimidate the Indian establishment
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by g.sarkar »

https://www.dw.com/en/lavrov-visits-ind ... a-61315080
Lavrov visits India to discuss Ukraine amid US criticism
Russia's top envoy has said he "appreciates" India's response to the Ukraine crisis. India has so far refused to condemn Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, calling only for a cessation of violence.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is holding talks Friday with senior Indian officials on the Ukraine war and ways to boost bilateral ties.
It comes after Lavrov met his Chinese counterpart earlier in the week.
The two Asian powers are the only major countries to have not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February.
"We appreciate that India is taking this situation in the entirety of facts and not just in a one-sided way," Lavrov said in his opening remarks during a meeting with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
"We continue to implement projects in the areas of energy, science and technology, outer space, pharmaceutical industry," he said.
Jaishankar said bilateral ties had been expanded but that they would have detailed discussions about the ongoing "difficult international environment".
"India, as you are aware, has always been in favor of resolving differences and disputes with dialogue and diplomacy," he said.
Lavrov's trip coincides with visits by UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Daleep Singh, the US chief sanctions strategist.
Despite Western pressure, India has so far refused to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, calling only for a cessation of violence.
New Delhi has abstained from voting on UN resolutions censuring Russia and continues to buy Russian oil and other goods.
West criticizes India for its stance
India is considering doubling its imports of Russian coking coal used in making steel. And Reuters reported this week that India has agreed to buy 45,000 tons of Russian sunflower oil for April delivery after supplies from Ukraine stopped, more than double the monthly average last year.
Russia, meanwhile, is offering India steep discounts — of as much as $35 (€31) off per barrel on prices before the war — on the direct sale of oil, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The two countries, which have shared close ties for decades, are also reportedly working on a rupee-ruble payment mechanism to facilitate trade and circumvent Western sanctions.
The move has frustrated the US and its allies, who have been trying to isolate and punish Moscow.
The US and Australia on Wednesday criticized India, with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo saying, "Now is the time to stand on the right side of history," and not fund and aid Russia's war on Ukraine. It came after US President Joe Biden said recently that India was "somewhat shaky" on Russia.
.....
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
https://www.reuters.com/world/russias-l ... 022-04-01/
Russia's Lavrov hopes to bypass sanctions in trade with "friend" India
Krishna N. Das, April 1, 2022

NEW DELHI - Russia will increase its use of non-Western currencies for trade with countries such as India, its foreign minister said on Friday, as he hailed New Delhi as a friend that was not taking a "one-sided view" on the Ukraine war.
Sergei Lavrov visited India to shore up support from a country Russia has long regarded as an ally a day after U.S. and British officials pressed India to avoid undermining the dollar-based financial system and sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
India and China are the only major countries that have not condemned what Russia calls its "special military operation". After Lavrov visited China this week, Beijing said it was "more determined" to develop ties with Russia. read more
"We are friends," Lavrov told a news conference after meeting his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, adding India saw the Ukraine crisis in the "entirety of facts and not just in a one-sided way".
Lavrov said Russia's central bank had several years ago established a system for the communication of financial information and India had a similar system.
"It is absolutely clear that more and more transactions would be done through this system using national currencies, bypassing dollar, euro and other currencies," he said.
Russia is the biggest supplier of defence equipment to India and Lavrov said the two countries would use a rupee-rouble mechanism to trade oil, military hardware and other goods.
"We will be ready to supply any goods which India wants to buy," he said.
"I have no doubt that a way would be (found) to bypass the artificial impediments which illegal unilateral sanctions by the West create. This relates also to the area of military-technical cooperation."
Lavrov said there was some movement forward in negotiations with Ukraine.
"Non-nuclear, non-bloc, neutral status - it is now being recognised as absolutely necessary," he said.
.......
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by g.sarkar »

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... sia-stance
Germany Weighs Snubbing India as G-7 Guest Over Russia Stance
Berlin was considering inviting India PM to summit before war
India hasn’t condemned Russia or joined sanctions against it
Alberto Nardelli and Michael Nienaber, April 12, 2022

Germany is debating whether to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven summit it’s hosting in June, given India’s reluctance to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.
Germany is set to include Senegal, South Africa and Indonesia as guests at the meeting in Bavaria, but India remains under consideration, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential matters. One of the people said India had been on a list drawn up before the war in Ukraine started, and a final decision hadn’t been taken.
India was among the more than 50 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, and has not imposed sanctions on Moscow. It is a significant buyer of Russian weapons, which it says it needs to deter its neighbors China and Pakistan.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin would present its list of guest attendees as soon as it is finalized.
“The chancellor has repeatedly made clear that he would like to see as many international partners as possible joining the sanctions,” Hebestreit said. A foreign ministry spokesperson declined to comment.
G-7 nations have taken the lead in pursuing sanctions against Russia and some have sent weapons to Ukraine. They’ve sought to engage other countries to condemn President Vladimir Putin and to put limits on trade and investment with Russia, including on energy. But many governments in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East remain reluctant to do so.
One of the people pointed to data suggesting an increase in Russian oil deliveries to India since the late February invasion. This had not gone unnoticed in the chancellery, the person added.
......
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by IndraD »

article seems to be a trial balloon. China hasn't condemned either. Europe is paying billions of euros to Ru for O&G
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Cyrano »

The EU gripe is not about O&G purchase, they know they are buying 100x.
The gripe is Indian govt is not joining the chorus to shout insults day and night at Russia and Putin. India's stance has a certain influence on other nations that aren't walking the line either.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Najunamar »

And that's where EU and US have lost the plot - they are yet to come to grips with the fact that the present GOI is disinterested in "Log kya kahenge" which was the standard MO of the Congoons. The more they press overtly, the more they'll get egg on their faces - US is realizing this a bit slowly but EU will have a hard time as they're not used to the volumes of immigration and mingling which gives US better insights into the changing Indian psyche.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by vera_k »

Bit confused about this G7 summit. If it is in Europe, is it even safe for the PM to travel to what might be an active war zone by then? Best to attend virtually until the Europeans sort themselves out.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by ramana »

Cyrano wrote:The EU gripe is not about O&G purchase, they know they are buying 100x.
The gripe is Indian govt is not joining the chorus to shout insults day and night at Russia and Putin. India's stance has a certain influence on other nations that aren't walking the line either.

Quite true. They are like the hecklers shouting at the Russians claiming to be for the Ukrainians!
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by ramana »

vera_k wrote:Bit confused about this G7 summit. If it is in Europe, is it even safe for the PM to travel to what might be an active war zone by then? Best to attend virtually until the Europeans sort themselves out.
It will be virtual. Don't trust Ukrainians.
The last time when NaMo was visiting Germany they made him wait for an hour on the plane in Munich.

An hour later the Ukrainians shot down a Malaysian airplane.
Still, not clear who did it and if it was the right target?
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by g.sarkar »

https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indi ... une-470657
India invited by Germany for G7 summit in June
Sidhant Sibal WION, New Delhi, Apr 13, 2022

Germany has informally intimated New Delhi its intent to invite India for the G7 summit.
A formal invite is expected soon from Berlin to India. The summit is due to take place from June 26-28 at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps. Germany is the chair of the grouping for this year and holds the meeting amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It is the fourth time India has been consecutively invited to the G7 summit since 2019. France in 2019 had invited India for the G7 ‘Biarritz Summit’ as “a goodwill partner”.
In 2020, President Donald Trump had invited PM Modi to the G7 outreach summit at Camp David. The summit was to take place in June 2020 however due to the COVID-19 crisis it could not take place.
Last year the UK had invited India for the G7 summit, but PM Modi could not travel due to the second COVID-19 wave in the country. PM Modi participated in the summit virtually.
Meanwhile, the German government has dismissed reports of Berlin not keen to invite New Delhi for the summit due to its Russian policy amid the Ukraine war. It's believed that Germany is planning to not only invite India for the June summit but some other countries also.
.....
Gautam
That snubbing stuff was indeed a trial balloon. I am sure we will come to the real reasons behind the Bloomberg piece soon. Also, it looks like a real meeting, not a virtual one.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by bala »

India is examining Russia’s proposal of putting in place a rupee-denominated payment mechanism for carrying out bilateral trade that will help in navigating Western sanctions, while simultaneously circumvent the cumbersome process of fixing exchange rates between the rupee and the rouble. “To make the rupee-denominated mechanism work, Russia is ready to increase its imports from India to match its exports and wants to buy a variety of items including more of food grain, pharmaceuticals, textiles, toiletries and a whole lot of other essentials,” a source tracking the development said. Per the proposal, India will be required to pay for all its imports from Russia, which mostly includes weapon systems and other defence equipment apart from items such as plastic, chemicals, oil and machinery, in rupees. In turn, Russia will use the rupee payments to pay for items it imports from India.

If the proposed system works well, India could also use it to source more oil from Russia, which is being offered at a discount, but it is still a call to be taken at the highest level, the source added. “A team from Russia’s central bank is scheduled to visit India in May to thrash out the details of the proposal,” the source said. One impediment to be taken care of is that the bilateral trade, at present, is heavily skewed in Russia’s favour. Of the total annual trade of around $11 billion, Russia’s exports to India are around $9 billion, while its imports are around $2 billion. There is a $7-billion deficit which Russia wants to bridge by increasing imports. “Because of the Western sanctions against Russia, the country is mostly importing just from China. So, there is a lot of scope for it to source items from India,” the source explained. But for the payment mechanism to work, RBI will still need to enable it. That decision has not yet been taken. During his recent visit to India, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had said that India and Russia would find a way to bypass the ‘artificial impediments’ created by the West in the payment system. On the use of rupee and rouble in bilateral trade, the Minister said that Russia had started moving away from the use of US dollar to using national currencies more and more some time back, and that trend would be intensified.

Carrying out rupee-denominated trade will also solve the big problem of fixing the exchange value between the rupee and the rouble that is especially difficult now due to the volatility of the latter, the source said. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, seven Russian banks were banned from using the SWIFT messaging system that effectively stopped them from participating in international trade. To make the system work, Russian banks that are exempted from the West’s sanctions will need to open branches in India. Of the two Russian banks with branches in India, VTB bank is under sanctions but Sberbank is not. “While business can be carried out with Sberbank, India would need more than one channel. So banks that are not under sanction, such as Gazprom Bank that does business in oil and gas, could be allowed. That’s another decision that needs to be taken,” the official said. The Indian banks involved in the transaction also need to be identified. The UCO bank, that does not have dollar exposure, is an obvious choice. But there may be need to involve more banks. “Once the meeting between Russian and Indian officials takes place next month, there will be more clarity on the matter,” the source said.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ec ... 321498.ece

I was wondering whether it would make sense to create a company exclusively for selling things into Russia - call it KaveriVolga. This company has a branch in Russia. Everything from India is transacted on behalf of KaveriVolga and Russia pays in Roubles and India manages the Rupee-Rouble exchange to pay for its Imports from Russia. KaveriVolga also pays for Migs and Sukhois and other defence products from the rouble stash it has. Indian producers get direct rupees from GOI via KaveriVolga.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by kit »

less centralised. things are .,easier to avoid sanctions
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Dilbu »

India’s Subtle Shifts Toward the West and Away From Russia
New Delhi is not abandoning Russia, but it is slowly laying the groundwork to reduce its key areas of dependence on Moscow.
While India’s share of arms imports from Russia have dropped from 69 percent during the period between 2012 and 2016 to 46 percent in 2017-2021, Russia still remains the biggest arms supplier to India. The drop in share of imports from Russia corresponds to a simultaneous rise of defense imports from France, the United States, and Israel.
India and the West may have their own perspectives about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but India is making an effort to work around the differences, while maintaining its focus on the Indo-Pacific Region. That is evident from India’s external engagements since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. In the past two months, India has had a hectic diplomatic schedule with a flurry of high-profile meetings.

India’s engagements include visits by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Japanese, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio; Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual summits with U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison; and the India-U.S. 2+2 Dialogue. By contrast, India’s only notable engagement with Russia was the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to India, and Modi’s telephonic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

These engagements with the United States, Japan, Australia, the U.K., and the EU indicate India is maintaining its focus on the Indo-Pacific Region. The U.S., Japan, and Australia are members of the Quad alongside India, while the U.K. and the EU looked to extend their outreach to the Indo-Pacific Region through formulating their respective policies. India is an important partner for all of these countries in the Indo-Pacific region. For India, it is important to strengthen strategic cooperation with the like-minded countries to counter China’s aggression. India’s partnership with the Quad and other entities is necessary to bolster freedom of navigation and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Fearing international isolation, Russia has tried to expand its energy ties with India by offering oil at a discounted price. It is true that India stepped up its purchase of the Russian oil since the war, but even with the increased purchases, the Russian oil only accounts for about 1 to 2 percent of India’s total oil imports. India is looking to curb even that; recently India’s top refiner, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), excluded the Russian Urals from its latest tender.

Further, the Indian Air Force has cancelled plans to buy 48 Mi-17 V5 helicopters from Russia, though this move is said to be taken to boost the Make in India initiative. Also last month, India announced a phased import ban on 107 defense items. This ban will come into effect between December 2022 and December 2028. Several Russian defense parts such as the sub-systems for Russian weapons and platforms including T-90 and T-72 tanks, BMP-II infantry combat vehicles, warships and submarines and anti-tank missiles are among the imports that will be banned. These developments drive home the fact that India’s indigenization drive, regardless of its motivations, will inevitably have the end result of lessening India’s dependence on Russia arms.
India may have already started taking steps to maintain distance from Russia in the future, in case Russia becomes China’s junior partner after the war, as predicted by some experts. While complete detachment from Russia is impossible, India has certainly prioritized those of its strategic interests that require closer cooperation with the Western countries.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by ks_sachin »

Dilbu wrote:India’s Subtle Shifts Toward the West and Away From Russia
New Delhi is not abandoning Russia, but it is slowly laying the groundwork to reduce its key areas of dependence on Moscow.
While India’s share of arms imports from Russia have dropped from 69 percent during the period between 2012 and 2016 to 46 percent in 2017-2021, Russia still remains the biggest arms supplier to India. The drop in share of imports from Russia corresponds to a simultaneous rise of defense imports from France, the United States, and Israel.
India and the West may have their own perspectives about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but India is making an effort to work around the differences, while maintaining its focus on the Indo-Pacific Region. That is evident from India’s external engagements since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. In the past two months, India has had a hectic diplomatic schedule with a flurry of high-profile meetings.

India’s engagements include visits by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Japanese, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio; Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual summits with U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison; and the India-U.S. 2+2 Dialogue. By contrast, India’s only notable engagement with Russia was the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to India, and Modi’s telephonic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

These engagements with the United States, Japan, Australia, the U.K., and the EU indicate India is maintaining its focus on the Indo-Pacific Region. The U.S., Japan, and Australia are members of the Quad alongside India, while the U.K. and the EU looked to extend their outreach to the Indo-Pacific Region through formulating their respective policies. India is an important partner for all of these countries in the Indo-Pacific region. For India, it is important to strengthen strategic cooperation with the like-minded countries to counter China’s aggression. India’s partnership with the Quad and other entities is necessary to bolster freedom of navigation and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Fearing international isolation, Russia has tried to expand its energy ties with India by offering oil at a discounted price. It is true that India stepped up its purchase of the Russian oil since the war, but even with the increased purchases, the Russian oil only accounts for about 1 to 2 percent of India’s total oil imports. India is looking to curb even that; recently India’s top refiner, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), excluded the Russian Urals from its latest tender.

Further, the Indian Air Force has cancelled plans to buy 48 Mi-17 V5 helicopters from Russia, though this move is said to be taken to boost the Make in India initiative. Also last month, India announced a phased import ban on 107 defense items. This ban will come into effect between December 2022 and December 2028. Several Russian defense parts such as the sub-systems for Russian weapons and platforms including T-90 and T-72 tanks, BMP-II infantry combat vehicles, warships and submarines and anti-tank missiles are among the imports that will be banned. These developments drive home the fact that India’s indigenization drive, regardless of its motivations, will inevitably have the end result of lessening India’s dependence on Russia arms.
India may have already started taking steps to maintain distance from Russia in the future, in case Russia becomes China’s junior partner after the war, as predicted by some experts. While complete detachment from Russia is impossible, India has certainly prioritized those of its strategic interests that require closer cooperation with the Western countries.
Any move away from Russia cannot be counter balanced with a swing towards the US. We have to become masters of our own destiny.
Pratyush
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Pratyush »

^^°

This is something that is not understood by a lot of Indians.

Inspite of the then finance minister MMS saying in 91 budget. We have no Godfathers. It's been 31 years to that moment. Yet people think that Indian strength will increase by becoming dependent on another nation.

Indian strength can only increase, if, Indian political parties start working on generating employment in the respective states ruled by them. Fat chance of that happening however.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by g.sarkar »

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/ ... rom-russia
India struggles to find vessel to ship crude from Russia
Shippers are concerned over reputational risk and increasing difficulty in getting insurance for Russian assets.
27 Apr 2022

India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is struggling to find a vessel to ship 700,000 barrels of crude from Russia’s Far East, in a growing sign that complex trades involving one of Moscow’s biggest partners are being interrupted by Western sanctions, Reuters has reported, citing sources.
Several Indian companies including ONGC have stakes in Russian oil and gas assets, and India has been buying more Russian crude since Moscow invaded Ukraine, snapping up the popular Urals crude grade, while other buyers have shunned Russian exports.
ONGC has a 20 percent stake in the Sakhalin 1 project that produces a Russian grade known as Sokol, which ONGC exports through tenders. Sokol is mostly bought by North Asian buyers and loaded from South Korea.
However, Moscow’s ability to ship that grade, which requires vessels that can break through ice, is becoming harder due to concerns from shippers over reputational risk and the increasing difficulty for Russian assets to find insurance coverage.
Normally, cargoes of Sokol oil are first shipped from the De-Kastri terminal in Russia’s Far East using ice-class vessels to South Korea, where they are then reloaded onto a conventional tanker.
Indian refiners rarely buy the Sokol grade, as difficult logistics make the crude costly. There are a limited number of ice-class vessels in the global merchant fleet that can be deployed at any time.
ONGC relies on ice-class vessels provided by Russia’s state-owned Sovcomflot (SCF) for the transportation of crude to Yeosu port in South Korea, and from there the Indian company exports to buyers, mostly in North Asia.
Sanctions raise barriers
However, sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States, Britain, the European Union and Canada after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, in addition to specific restrictions on SCF, are making it harder for Russian ships, including SCF’s fleet, to maintain insurance and reinsurance cover for voyages, shipping sources said.
Shipping companies are also less willing to move Russian oil in Asia, fearing the potential reputational risks involved with charters, the shipping sources added. Last month, ONGC did not receive any bids in its tender for the export of Sokol as buyers backed out due to Western sanctions.
......
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https://www.wionews.com/world/india-rus ... ken-474485
India-Russia ties grew out of necessity as US couldn’t do it earlier: Antony Blinken
C Krishnasai, Apr 28, 2022

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that India forged its relations with Russia out of necessity, which is not the case with the United States as there is a growing strategic convergence between the two democratic countries.
Speaking at a Congressional hearing by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, Blinken acknowledged that US could not build its ties with India like Russia did in the early stage, adding that the US is now taking efforts to rectify this.
"In the case of India, there is a relationship that goes back decades. And Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner,” he told lawmakers," Blinken said while responding to a question by Senator William Hagerty on the India-US relationship during the hearing.
In the hearing, Hagerty said, “What I see before us is something I'm certain that is very frustrating in the short-term when we have our differences and you deal with that every day."
"But in the long-term, the strategic partnership that we have with India I think poses the opportunity to do more good in the 21st century," he said.
To which Blinken responded, “A number of countries are now relooking at some of their relationships and some of their interests particularly when it comes to their relationship with Russia. And of course, in the case of India, there's a relationship that goes back decades.”
.....
Gautam
Abhi_G
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Abhi_G »

g.sarkar wrote:https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/ ... rom-russia
India struggles to find vessel to ship crude from Russia
Shippers are concerned over reputational risk and increasing difficulty in getting insurance for Russian assets.
27 Apr 2022
When the war started and the hulla gulla started about India buying Russian oil, I predicted that issues will arise with the transportation of the crude from Russia to India from eastern Russia. Who knows Deep State (or China?) may be playing a dirty trick - delay and sabotage?

Hope India has gamed this into account.
kit
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by kit »

Abhi_G wrote:
g.sarkar wrote:https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/ ... rom-russia
India struggles to find vessel to ship crude from Russia
Shippers are concerned over reputational risk and increasing difficulty in getting insurance for Russian assets.
27 Apr 2022
When the war started and the hulla gulla started about India buying Russian oil, I predicted that issues will arise with the transportation of the crude from Russia to India from eastern Russia. Who knows Deep State (or China?) may be playing a dirty trick - delay and sabotage?

Hope India has gamed this into account.
Indian refiners rarely buy the Sokol grade, as difficult logistics make the crude costly. There are a limited number of ice-class vessels in the global merchant fleet that can be deployed at any time.

ONGC relies on ice-class vessels provided by Russia’s state-owned Sovcomflot (SCF) for the transportation of crude to Yeosu port in South Korea, and from there the Indian company exports to buyers, mostly in North Asia.
Aditya_V
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Aditya_V »

Given that is now the month of May, for the next few month are Ice breakers required? Can the oil be loaded in conventional tankers till say September?
ks_sachin
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by ks_sachin »

Pratyush wrote:^^°

This is something that is not understood by a lot of Indians.

Inspite of the then finance minister MMS saying in 91 budget. We have no Godfathers. It's been 31 years to that moment. Yet people think that Indian strength will increase by becoming dependent on another nation.

Indian strength can only increase, if, Indian political parties start working on generating employment in the respective states ruled by them. Fat chance of that happening however.
Problem is that I don't hold much hope. Beyond Hinduism etc we don't seem to have a vision of what we want our nation to be. The worst of the lot seems to be the urban middle class. All talk and no action and no taking responsibility. SOrry just back from India...
Aditya_V
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Aditya_V »

I think India is made of people with different views but why generalise and that entire nation lacks responsibility and is lazy, we are working to get better.

This NRI condensation of resident Indian has been a theme I have been noticing over the last 2 decades.
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by nandakumar »

Aditya_V wrote:Given that is now the month of May, for the next few month are Ice breakers required? Can the oil be loaded in conventional tankers till say September?
Bulk of the oil from Russia is exported from its ports on the Baltic sea. These don't require ice breaking ship escorts. Ships will traverse the North Sea, then enter the Atlantic Ocean and travel down an additional distance of 5400 nautical miles to the mouth of the Suez canal. It adds to the freight costs not to speak of extra inventory carrying cost for the extended transit. You need a 30% discount to make it cost neutral to crude from Saudi, Iranian crude. A small quantity gets exported from the Artic sea ports which requires ice cutter vessels to escort large crude carriers. The distance via Pacific Ocean would be even greater. ONGC has participating interest in Sakhalin fields. In the past they found it useful to sell their share rather than ship it to Indian refiners. We would much rather have $70 crude from the Middle East than 30% discounted Russian crude. But the Ukraine war is putting paid to those fond hopes.
ks_sachin
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by ks_sachin »

Aditya_V wrote:I think India is made of people with different views but why generalise and that entire nation lacks responsibility and is lazy, we are working to get better.

This NRI condensation of resident Indian has been a theme I have been noticing over the last 2 decades.
Don't worry I a not singling out Indians in India. We outside are equally bad. Yes I am generalising so yes there are people in India and outside who are outside the norm.
Aditya_V
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Re: India-Russia: News & Analysis

Post by Aditya_V »

When Putin came to India in Dec 21, there were no defense deals. There were only 3 agreements on Russian Oil, Coal now being put into action
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