9.3 India–Russia Relations

. India–Russia Relations Indian-Soviet Union Relations ( - ) Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to the USSR The Soviet Union was India’s closest friend and a strategic partner since . The relationship between the two countries has withstood several challenging geopolitical circumstances. Unlike the USA, Russia has historically understood and respected India’s strategic autonomy. It views India as an ancient civilisation rich in culture, knowledge systems and wisdom. This basic quality of the relation has enabled the bilateral ties to flourish over the years. Initially, when India became free, the Soviet Union (USSR) under the leadership of Joseph Stalin was suspicious of the genuineness of India’s independent policy of non-alignment. However, India-Soviet bonhomie started with the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to the USSR in June which was followed by the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to India in December . USSR Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to India This was also the time when India adapted Soviet-style state planning and a ‘socialistic pattern of society’. In this era, the USSR used instruments of aid, trade and diplomacy in developing countries to limit Western influence. Subsequently, India- Soviet relations flourished over the decades in the fields of metallurgy, defence, energy and trade sectors. The India-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation was signed by the two sides in . This was a landmark in the relationship between the two countries. During the India–Pakistan war in , the USSR took a firm position in favour of India and sent ships to the Indian Ocean to counter any move by the USA, which had already sent its th Fleet into the Bay of Bengal. The results of the India– Pakistan war and emergence of Bangladesh established a trusted partnership between India and the USSR. India-Russian Relations ( -present) With the fall of the USSR in , bilateral relations between Russia and India went through a period of uncertainty. The Treaty of became ineffective as the Soviet regime no longer existed. Russia was also pressed to shift its focus towards domestic affairs and its relations