Brushing aside concerns about the arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Russian President Putin ahead of his visit to Delhi , Ministry of External Affairs officials said this didn’t affect India, as it is not a signatory to the ICC.

Even so, the two-day visit starting from Thursday (December 4, 2025), the first by Mr. Putin since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, is not without some anxious moments for New Delhi. The government manages a tense tightrope walk between Russia and Western countries, particularly Europe, on a number of issues including the optics of the visit, oil imports and trade, defence, nuclear cooperation and a mobility agreement.

Optics

Nothing explains the tussle the government faces more than this week’s controversy over an editorial pie

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