Putin Trying To 'Dispel' Notion Of 'Global Isolation' By Slamming West And Praising India: Expert

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised India, calling it a "powerful country" growing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also slammed the West for branding anyone who doesn't abide by their norms an "enemy" and backed India, Brazil and South Africa for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Experts believe Putin's chorus of praises signals Moscow's desire to "energize ties with countries which have adopted an independent foreign policy" and dispel notions about its global isolation in light of Moscow's brazen invasion of Ukraine.

"At a time when Russia has been boycotted by the West, it is unsurprising that Moscow is seeking to energize ties with countries which have adopted an independent foreign policy i.e. not follow the Western diktat. The fact is that Russia retains several competitive advantages, which it is seeking to leverage to dispel the notion of its global isolation," Rajorshi Roy, associate fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, told International Business Times.

While speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin said India is "a powerful country that is growing stronger every year under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi." He pointed fingers at the West for always needing an "enemy" and said Western countries tried to make an enemy out of India in the past but are now "flirting" with New Delhi.

"The West – at least a certain part of the West, the elite – always need an enemy. They need an enemy to justify the need for military action and expansion," the Russian leader said.

"They try to portray those who are not willing to blindly follow these Western elite groups as enemies," he added. "They have used this approach with various countries, including the People's Republic of China, and they tried to do this to India in certain situations. They are flirting with it now, as we can see very clearly."

The fresh round of flattery comes less than a month after Putin lauded New Delhi's "Make in India" initiative — aimed at boosting its domestic manufacturing capabilities.

While speaking at the Eighth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) last month, Putin said, "We should emulate many of our partners, for example, India" and added that Modi was "doing the right thing in promoting the Make in India program."

As geopolitical shifts take place in light of the Ukraine conflict, Roy believes India is "inevitably a key pillar of the Russian calculus."

"Today, India's position counts globally. It remains one of the few large economies to have stayed neutral on the War in Ukraine. And the India-Russia strategic partnership continues to be mutually beneficial. President Putin highlighting the relevance of the bilateral relationship is a reflection of this reality," Roy said.

Putin's show of support for India, Brazil and South Africa also comes as the global south pushes for a rebalancing of global power. Developing countries have recently expressed their confidence in India being a driver of progress among emerging economies by pushing issues of the Global South to the limelight.

Putin could be trying to capitalize on the pivot of the world's economy and politics from the West to the Indo-Pacific, said Veena Ramachandran and Amit Kumar, from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, India.

"Putin is trying to capitalize on deglobalization that defines a shift in economy and political visibility from transatlantic to Indo-Pacific. This shift offers leverage for the global south to assert and present particular narratives, which increasingly provide new solutions to the unjust structures of processes of liberal order," they told IBT.

Russia could be looking at strong alternative partnerships with the Global South to protect itself from Western sanctions and their rippling effects. Furthermore, Putin is also likely to seek further support from its fellow members of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which is now expanding to include more emerging economies in the bloc.

"Since Russia shares good relations with the Global South, Russia looks for strong alternative partnerships that would fill the de-risking with the West to evade Western monopoly over sanctions. Through India, and mainly with the Global South, Russia attempts to provide new meanings and grammar to processes like BRICS. BRICS GDP is 26% of the global GDP, and BRICS PLUS is 30%. BRICS is working on de-dollarization and a new payment and settlement system outside the Western-dominated SWIFT," Ramachandran and Kumar added.

"Russia's aspiration here is to lead in streamlining a consensus among the Global South to define a more inclusive and representative global order," they said.