India–Russia Send a Clear Message to the World: China’s Global Times Applauds Putin’s Delhi Visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India on Thursday for a two-day state visit—his first trip to New Delhi since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022. As Putin’s aircraft touched down in the Indian capital on the evening of 4 December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke protocol and personally welcomed him at the airport, underscoring the warmth and resilience of India–Russia ties.

Putin’s 2025 visit is especially significant as it coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership established between the two nations in October 2000. Remarkably, the trip has drawn strong approval from China, where the state-run Global Times—known as the voice of President Xi Jinping—has lavished praise on the deepening India–Russia engagement.

A Clear Message From Delhi and Moscow

According to Global Times, geopolitical experts in Beijing believe that the Modi–Putin meeting sends a strong and unmistakable message to the United States and Western powers:
Neither India nor Russia can be isolated despite sustained pressure.

Professor Li Haidong of the China Foreign Affairs University noted that the partnership between the two countries remains “highly strategic” and “exceptionally resilient” to external interference.

He emphasized that both nations have demonstrated a firm intent to strengthen autonomous decision-making and protect their strategic independence. The Putin visit, he said, clearly signals that:

• Russia is not weakened or cornered by Western sanctions.
• India continues to chart its own foreign policy, unaffected by pressure from any bloc.

Cooperation That Defies Pressure

Beijing’s experts point out that the visit highlights the deep complementarity between India and Russia—ranging from defense and energy to emerging technologies.

They argue that US-led sanctions and diplomatic pressure are unlikely to succeed in diluting this long-standing partnership. Instead, the coordinated engagement between New Delhi and Moscow suggests that both nations intend to preserve their independent global roles.

‘Neither Side Will Retreat’

Putin’s arrival in India comes just after a meeting in the Kremlin with former US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. Ahead of that meeting, Putin had warned that Russia remains ready to defend its interests even if Europe moves closer to confrontation.

Chinese analysts say the sequence of events demonstrates that:

• Russia will not compromise its strategic goals despite Western restrictions.
• India, too, will not retreat from its balanced and autonomous foreign-policy approach.

By hosting Putin with exceptional warmth, India has reaffirmed that its strategic ties with Russia remain robust, durable, and future-oriented—irrespective of shifts in global politics.