India has traditionally been a global champion of the inviolability of state sovereignty and territorial integrity. India who has never accepted any foreign intervention or mediation in the Kashmir issue, would not support Russia's military aggression in Ukraine.
Russia has historically been a major diplomatic ally that has often in the past protected New Delhi’s back in the Security Council. Russia remains India’s most important arms supplier, accounting for almost half of total arms imports (and 23% of total Russian arms exports—its biggest market) in the 2016 to 2020 period. Israel, France and the US are the second, third and fourth biggest sources.
India is trying to reduce its dependence on Russia by diversifying arms imports, Russia’s share dropped by half from 70% to 49% from 2011–2015 to 2016–2020. US imports also fell by 46% and those from France and Israel went up by 709% and 82%, respectively, in the same five-year periods. Moreover, in recent years Russia has also become Pakistan’s second biggest arms supplier.
China gets 77% of its arms from Russia. Shortly before the Ukraine invasion, Russia and China announced a ‘‘no-limits partnership’ that includes supporting each other’s policies on Ukraine and Taiwan respectively. India would never want any further consolidation of the Moscow–Beijing alliance.
India continues to invest heavily in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Australia and Japan. China’s influence in the maritime space is also a concern. China is a clear security threat as well as India’s most consequential diplomatic adversary.
India is Quad member and a potential partner in the D10 (a proposed group comprising 10 major democratic countries). But it is also a member of The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS, alongside Russia and China, as well as the G20. It is very well known how keen India is about getting the permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Overall, India's foreign policy calculus so far has been balanced and praiseworthy.
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