Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, September 1, 2025, in Tianjin, China. Getty Images

When Vladimir Putin’s plane touches down in New Delhi on Thursday, he will be met with the pomp and ceremony reserved for one of India’s most steadfast partners. Yet his host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is simultaneously attempting to maintain a deep strategic relationship with a key global rival: the United States.

This is India’s diplomatic split screen. On one side: the potential purchase of advanced Russian fighter jets, cheap oil, and an ironclad friendship forged in the Cold War. On the other: American collaboration on technology, trade and investment – and the hope President Donald Trump will lift hi

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