UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to India could be about trade and strategic partnership, but the trip is generating some buzz for another reason. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gesture of wishing Russian President Vladimir Putin just before Starmer’s arrival in India is in focus for the “awkward note” it began, according to Western media.
A report that appeared in Bloomberg highlighted Modi’s post on X, wherein he extended birthday wishes to “my friend President Putin” as an indication of the “difficult balance” Starmer must strike on his trade mission to India. Modi also said he looked forward to welcoming Putin in New Delhi for the annual India-Russia summit.
Starmer himself was asked about this on the plane en route to India. “Just for the record, I haven’t sent birthday congratulations to Putin,” the British PM told reporters.
The report tags Russia as “UK’s prime adversary” but mentions how Starmer, unlike Trump, has so far avoided criticising Modi over his relationship with Putin.
Many also interpret Modi’s statement that he is ready to welcome Putin to India is a sign that India-Russia relations are only getting tighter, irrespective of Donald Trump’s warning.
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Meanwhile, there are reports that Indian refiners are expected to boost oil imports from Russia in the coming months, as trade talks with Washington drag on. Indian state refiners have also quietly started paying for Russian oil using Chinese yuan instead of dollars or dirhams. "Some refiners are paying in other currencies like yuan if banks are not willing to settle trade in dollars," an Indian government source told Reuters.
Crude imports from Russia could average about 1.7 million barrels a day in October, according to reports. India has become the top buyer of discounted Russian oil, especially since the West blocked direct imports from Moscow. |
