India and the Russian invasion of Ukraine

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Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 16th BRICS Summit in 2024, in front of the Indian and Russian flags.
Russian President Vladimir Putin with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 16th BRICS Summit on 22 October 2024.

India’s position on the Russo-Ukrainian war, as stated in March 2022 parliamentary responses and at the United Nations, emphasized a consistent call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution through diplomacy and direct dialogue between the parties involved. India expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis and provided assistance to affected civilians. The government highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s communications with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging continued negotiations. India maintained a neutral stance, stressing respect for international law, the UN Charter, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. During a 25 February 2022 Security Council meeting, India’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, reiterated the importance of dialogue, condemned the abandonment of diplomacy, and explained that these principles informed India’s decision to abstain from the vote on condemnation of Russia and demanding withdrawal of forces.[1][2][3]

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Indian-Russian economic and diplomatic ties saw significant growth, occurring in contrast to Western condemnation of and sanctions on Russia. India supplied unilateral support for Ukraine with humanitarian. India's circumvention of Western sanctions to purchase heavily discounted Russian oil and fertilizer,[4] its supply of dual-use technology to Russia,[5] and its repeated abstentions from condemning Russia's invasion though negatively impacted Ukrainian ties to India,[6][7] and complicated Western diplomatic interactions with India, still India was seen by many in the west to be a 'perfect' and impartial mediator.[8] On the other hand, India has criticised Europe and the US for double standards on its purchases of Russian Crude Oil.

Trade

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After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and because of international sanctions against Russia, it started to provide oil and chemical fertilisers at discounted rate to India, increasing India-Russia bilateral trade volume from $13 billion [2021-2022] to $27 billion within 2022[9] making it largest oil and fertiliser supplier to India.[10] During 2022–23, India became one of the largest trade partners of Russia, primarily through the purchase of Russian oil.[11] In August 2024, India became the largest importer of Russian oil, overtaking China.[12] India imported 35-40% of its oil from Russia in 2024, up from 3% in 2021.[13]

In December 2023, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over a five-day visit, praising the two countries' "all-time high" trading volume, praising the trade as "balanced", "sustainable" and providing "fair market access".[14]

On 12 December 2024, Russian state oil company Rosneft agreed to supply nearly 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Indian private refiner Reliance, the largest oil supply deal between the two countries in their trade history.[15]

In July 2025, India became Ukraine's largest diesel supplier, providing 15.5% of imports—up from 1.9% a year earlier, according to NaftoRynok.[16] Exports averaged 2,700 tonnes daily, routed mainly via Romania and Turkey. The fuel aided Ukraine and, according to Indian media, analysts suggest that some of it may have been refined from Russian-origin crude although the official sourcing data remained undisclosed.[17] This occurred while the U.S. imposed tariffs on India over its Russian oil imports.[18] In July 2025, the US announced its first "secondary tariff," targeting India to penalize its trade with Russia.[19] Beginning 27 August 2025, Indian exports have faced an extra 25% tariff or a total baseline tariff of 50%.[20]

In August 2025, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused India of profiting from reselling Russian oil, saying "This is what I would call the Indian arbitrage — buying cheap Russian oil, reselling it as product. They’ve made $16 billion in excess profits — some of the richest families in India."[21]

Technology

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In September 2024, it was revealed that the Russian Federation had been covertly purchasing components for its arms industry from India. In October 2022, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, which is responsible for national defense production, developed confidential plans to spend about 82 billion rupees (about US$1 billion) on the purchase of critical electronic components through channels in India that were hidden from Western governments. Customs records indicated that India also supplied electronic equipment to the Russian Federation which including UAVs and components for radio-electronic systems.[22]

In October 2024, it was published by Western media outlets that India has increased exports of critical sanctioned technologies to Russia, according to information from Bloomberg. The volume of Indian exports of goods subject to restrictions (including integrated circuits and machine tools) to Russia exceeded $60 million per month in April and May, twice as much as in previous months of 2024. In July, this amount reached $95 million, becoming the second-largest volume of such exports, surpassed only by China.[5]

According to information from Bloomberg in October 2024, India played a key role as an intermediary in supplying Russia with powerful AI technologies, despite Western sanctions. The key suppliers included the Indian companies Shreya Life Sciences and Hayers Infotech Private Limited, and also included suppliers from Malaysia. Between April and August 2024, Shreya Life Sciences exported 1,111 Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers with Nvidia processors designed for artificial intelligence to Russia. Russian company Main Chain, which was not under Western sanctions at the time of the transfers, was the recipient through which the high-tech products were distributed to Russia. The value of these deliveries was estimated at $300 million. In total, since February 2022, Shreya and Hayers had supplied Russia with high-tech products worth $434 million. Despite the exports falling under concurrent Western sanctions due to their potential for military use, India maintained active business with Russia due to it not joining United States and European Union sanctions against Moscow.[23]

Military

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Vladimir Putin with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Moscow, December 2024

Participation of Indian citizens in the invasion of Ukraine

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On 8 March 2024, India announced the dismantling of a “vast human trafficking network” that promised young people jobs in Russia and lured them into its war against Ukraine. At least two men who had gone to Russia hoping to work as “helpers” in the army died on the front lines, their families said. The Indian embassy in Russia confirmed one of the deaths. Several others were also seriously injured. The criminal case states that some of the men were also offered admission to “dubious private universities” in the Russian Federation along with “free visa extensions at a discount.” It added that the Indian citizens were sent to the front lines “against their wishes”.[24]

Military cooperation

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In 2023, Russia and India planned to hold several joint military exercises in the Southern Military District as part of the Indra military project, which was first implemented back in 2003.[25]

On 19 September 2024, it was announced that the Indian government planned to jointly modernize and export its fleet of T-72 tanks, which numbered about 2,500 vehicles, with Russia. The modernization of the vehicles will involve joint efforts by Indian defense manufacturers and Russian technology suppliers.[26]

In October 2025, the countries jointly launched 15-day military drills "Indra 2025" in the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the city of Bikaner. According to the Russian embassy to India, around 250 Russian soldiers were sent to participate.[27][28]

Diplomacy

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Modi and Putin in Russia on 8 July 2024

On 16 September 2022, during a regional security summit in Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Vladimir Putin that "today's era is not an era of war," emphasizing global concerns over food, fertilizer, and fuel security. Modi reiterated India's position in favour of democracy, diplomacy, and dialogue as means to address international challenges.[29]

In March 2024, the Indian government congratulated Vladimir Putin on his re-election in the 2024 Russian presidential election.[30]

In June 2024, President Putin congratulated Narendra Modi on his re-election in the 2024 Indian general election in a telephone call, where both leaders expressed intent on further building upon the India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership "in all areas".[31]

In July 2024, Prime Minister Modi visited Moscow to meet Putin, his first visit to Russia in five years.[32] The two embraced as Modi climbed out of his car; this act was criticized by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as it happened on the same day that Russian missiles struck a children's hospital in Kyiv.[33] During the visit, the two countries discussed nine strategic areas for closer economic cooperation, including nuclear energy and medicine, with a goal to significantly improve bilateral trade by 2030.[34][35]

In September 2025, US President Donald Trump called Modi to wish him a happy birthday, later praising him on X and thanking him for supporting efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine conflict.[36] The following day, Modi held a separate phone conversation with Putin, during which he reiterated India’s full support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.[37]

At the Eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar commented on the conflict in Ukraine by stating that even countries not directly involved have felt its impact. He called on nations capable of engaging all sides to take a more active role in seeking solutions and reaffirmed that India supports any initiative aimed at ending hostilities and restoring peace.[38]

Reactions

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Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized India for profiting from buying cheap Russian oil.[4] On 29 December 2022, following the Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure, Kuleba tweeted, "There can be no ‘neutrality’ in the face of such mass war crimes. Pretending to be ‘neutral’ equals taking Russia's side."[39]

In March 2024, Dmytro Kuleba said on a visit to India that the country should be concerned about Russia’s deepening ties with China. He declared that “the co-operation between India and Russia is largely based on the Soviet legacy. But this is not the legacy that will be kept for centuries; it is a legacy that is evaporating.” Kuleba emphasized that Ukraine is interested in restoring trade with India and that Indian companies are welcome to participate in the recovery of the country.[40]

In June 2024, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin as a "huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts".[41] In January 2025, The Guardian reported that India's continued technological trade with Russia was causing concern among Western allies, particularly due to the potential military applications of exported goods. A senior European Union official was quoted saying, “India’s position as a strategic partner is valued, but there is unease when this position results in undermining sanctions meant to curb Russian aggression.” Indian officials, however, reiterated that their foreign policy was guided by “strategic autonomy” and “national interest.”[42]

In July 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized India over its continued oil trade with Russia, despite ongoing Western sanctions. Announcing a 25% "reciprocal tariff"[43] on Indian goods and additional penalties linked to India's purchase of Russian arms and energy, Trump also revealed a proposed trade and energy development agreement with Pakistan.[43] These remarks and policy announcements were seen as a reaction to India's ongoing oil imports from Russia, which Trump suggested were indirectly funding the war in Ukraine.[43] On 14 July 2025, Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries purchasing Russian oil if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire within 50 days.[44][45] Earlier in July, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a sanctions bill proposing tariffs of up to 500% on countries—including India—that continued to trade oil with Russia.[46][47]

In August 2025, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats criticized President Donald Trump's decision to impose 50% tariffs on India over India's trade with Russia, stating that the move threatened US-India relations. They argued that targeting India, rather than China or other major buyers of Russian oil, would hurt Americans and "sabotage" the US-India partnership. The committee had earlier stated that if Trump were serious about ending the conflict, he would have provided military support to Ukraine.[48][49]

On 22 October 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Russian energy companies Rosneft and Lukoil,[50] affecting their customers in India.[51]

See also

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References

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