Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Manmohan Singh over the Ukraine issue. He assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that India would continue to oppose Western sanctions against Moscow over the crisis. Besides, he has requested Putin to travel to the Kundankulam nuclear plant during his visit to India in December for the annual strategic dialogue. Putin has evidently agreed to Modi’s request. Russia has already supplied two reactors to the plant and has promised four more. Unlike Russia, the US is refusing to accept the Indian nuclear liability law. Modi thanked Russia for standing by India at its most critical moments such as when it faced Western sanctions after its nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998. Putin returned the compliment saying that Russia knew India was a great friend of his country. Manmohan Singh’s government had also said that Russia had legitimate interests in Crimea. Moscow was however apprehensive that the US would try to persuade the new government in Delhi to take a new look at the Crimean and Ukrainian conflict.
At the same time, Modi has decided to break away from the past in his China policy as demonstrated in his talks with President Xi Jinping. He has sought an amicable resolution of the border crisis. He also wants promotion of economic and cultural relations with China, especially in industrial investment and infrastructure development in India. The two countries may work together on the Afghan question. And India will preside over the new BRICS bank to be headquartered in Shanghai. All this suggests a lurch away from the US and the West in India’s foreign policy calculations.