Can India balance its ties between Russia and the US?
In December 2025, India is attempting to balance its relationships with both Russia and the United States. Despite pressure from Washington, New Delhi has been deepening economic ties with Moscow, including purchasing Russian oil, weapons, and critical minerals.
The story so far
- Dec 4
- Dec 5
- Dec 6
- Dec 9
- Dec 11
How outlets cover it
4 outletsNot rated on the left–right scale. It describes Western party politics and doesn’t fit state media or outlets outside that system, so we show ownership and country instead.
Open questions and key claims
Before the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, only 2.5% of India's oil imports were Russian.
That figure jumped to 35% as India took advantage of Russian price discounts.
The United States itself still buys nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants.
India-Russia friendship is a time tested one that has greatly benefitted our people.
Putin pledges ‘uninterrupted’ fuel shipment to India.
Energy security has been a strong and important pillar of the India-Russia partnership.
India imports more than $60 billion from Russia, most of it oil, but exports only around $5 billion of goods.
For Russia, the importance of this visit lies primarily in the fact that it is happening at all.
Who and where
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