India charts own course amid U.S.-China rivalry, analyst says

Dr Yanitha Meena Louis of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia said India has long been able to manage relations with major powers separately.

"(Donald) Trump's tariffs and penalties over India's purchasing of Russian oil have left New Delhi perplexed, but not weakened, because inconsistencies and hyperboles in its U.S. relations are nothing new," she told AWANI International.

India has highlighted what it sees as U.S. double standards on trade, a stance that has resonated with other countries frustrated by American trade policies.

The U.S. has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods in response to New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil.

In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country’s push for self-reliance goes beyond trade or foreign currency matters.

Louis said India’s ties with Russia remain among its most important, rooted in decades of defence and political cooperation. She rejected the idea that closer India-Russia relations are a reaction to Washington, noting India’s long-standing engagement with Europe, ASEAN and the Middle East.

"India-Russia ties have layers of strategic importance, in the sense that they allow Russia to maintain a degree of international socialisation and participation in the global system," she added.

Moscow on Wednesday said it hopes to revive trilateral talks with India and China under its “greater Eurasian partnership” plan. Modi is expected to visit China later this month, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is slated for a New Delhi visit by year-end, raising the prospect of all three leaders meeting at regional forums.

On China, Louis said India’s approach remains similarly independent, pointing to a thaw in relations during last year’s BRICS summit and recent foreign minister-level talks. She noted that frameworks like the Quad continue to anchor India’s ties with the U.S., even as New Delhi engages Beijing and other regional partners.