Modi’s Balancing Act: Navigating Putin’s Anti-West Push at SCO Summit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces a delicate balancing act at the SCO Summit as he navigates Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strident anti-West push. While India shares some concerns about Western dominance, it also maintains crucial strategic partnerships with the US and Europe.
Putin has set a clear, confrontational tone, lambasting “discriminatory” Western sanctions and calling for a united SCO and BRICS front. He will undoubtedly press Modi in their bilateral meeting to align more closely with the Russia-China position, emphasizing their shared BRICS membership.
Modi will need to carefully weigh Putin’s proposals. India has an interest in a “multipolar world” and benefits from its strategic relationship with Russia, including in energy and defense. However, openly joining an anti-Western bloc could jeopardize its ties with Washington and its Quad partners.
The Modi-Putin and Modi-Xi meetings in Tianjin will be a masterclass in diplomacy. India’s challenge will be to support the SCO’s goals of regional security and economic cooperation without being drawn into the direct geopolitical confrontation with the West that Moscow and Beijing are spearheading.