Afrasianet - Al, Buraq Shadi Abd Salam - Russia  is today cementing its position as a geopolitical safety valve that guarantees New Delhi a stable and uninterrupted supply, securing more than a third of India's crude oil needs at preferential prices. 

Multipolar Global Balance

Global political and strategic circles focused on the outcomes of the 23rd Russia-India Summit, which is a clear embodiment of New Delhi's policy of strategic independence.

This event represents a strategic development that carries deep connotations beyond the scope of traditional bilateral relations, as this partnership confirms that India exercises its sovereign choice in diversifying its alliances and international relations without aligning with a single axis.

The Moscow-New Delhi axis demonstrates how common geopolitical weight can be used to strengthen the economic and political partnership, to serve the goal of Rebuilding a multipolar global balance.

The recent bilateral summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a practical announcement that the strategic partnership is entering a new phase of acceleration. With the pace of transformation on the international stage, Moscow and New Delhi have put their common geopolitical weight on the table with the aim of activating the pace of cooperation in vital sectors.

This alliance represents a tough strategic decision to inject unprecedented momentum, from protecting the energy artery (where Russia provides a third of India's crude imports) to the most prominent economic challenge, They succeeded in activating 96% of trade settlements in national currencies. The summit not only praised these achievements, but also went beyond them to draw up an ambitious and time-bound economic plan until 2030.

The accelerated strategic positioning between Moscow and New Delhi, which has translated into a deep partnership in energy, advanced technology, defense, and space conquest, is reshaping the global power equation in its multiple dimensions.

The move to settle 96% of trade between Moscow and New Delhi in national currencies is a qualitative step beyond the concept of "trade facilitation" and poses a practical and direct challenge to the traditional dominance of the US dollar in global trade.

This achievement is based entirely on a supreme political will that has decided to immunize its partnership from the volatility and sanctions of the international financial systems. By building this double financial bridge between the ruble and the rupee, Russia ensures the continued flow of its vital export revenues, and India secures its oil supply at preferential prices away from the volatility of global exchange markets.

This arrangement establishes a new model for countries seeking to diversify their reserves and reduce the risk of dependence on a single currency, and opens the door to the implementation of an ambitious economic cooperation program aimed at doubling down The volume of trade exchange by expanding joint investments in industry, technology and mining.

The strategic planning between Moscow and New Delhi has not been limited to financial or security aspects, but has also extended to the core of logistical and geographical challenges by reviving continental connectivity projects.

At the forefront of these projects is the "Express Corridor" or International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which is a vital artery that aims to shorten the distance and time of goods between the two countries by about 40% compared to the traditional route through the Suez Canal.

This corridor, which connects India to northern Europe via Iran and Russia, is seen as a tool Effective in lowering trade costs and enhancing the resilience of bilateral supply chains, immunizing them from geopolitical turmoil. The summit works to overcome the bureaucratic and technical obstacles to the implementation of this corridor at full capacity, ensuring that solid infrastructure serves the ambitious economic goals of 2030.

In parallel with the revival of the  INSTC corridor, Moscow and New Delhi's strategic outlook extends to areas of new geopolitical weight, foremost of which is the Arctic. Cooperation in the Arctic region is a sign of the shared ambition to enhance economic and logistical security on the international stage, as this track reflects India's keenness to play an active observer role in the Arctic Council, thereby increasing its international weight.

The core of this coordination is to support and develop the Northern Maritime Route (NSR), a trade corridor that shortens the distance between Asia and Europe, boosting bilateral trade and providing India with a strategic logistical advantage complementary to the corridor.

This partnership, which includes the fields of energy and mineral exploitation in the Arctic region, underscores the consolidation of the geographical dimension of the strategic partnership between the two countries until 2030 and beyond.

At the heart of this strategic acceleration is the issue of ensuring energy security, a vital goal for India's economic growth. Russia is now positioning itself as a geopolitical safety valve that guarantees New Delhi a stable and uninterrupted supply, securing more than a third of India's crude oil needs at preferential prices away from the volatility of international markets.

This partnership also serves Moscow's interests by opening up a huge and reliable consumer market for its energy exports, reducing the impact of Western isolation attempts.

The cooperation goes beyond oil to include vital long-term sectors, such as peaceful nuclear energy projects, most notably the Kodankulam plant, which confirms that energy cooperation is not seen as a transitory trade deal, but is today a structural pillar of the two countries' strategy until 2030 and beyond.

The Russian-Indian strategic partnership is embodied in the depth of the technological infrastructure of the future through projects that require strategic commitment and the transfer of substantial expertise. In the nuclear energy sector, cooperation goes beyond plant construction to include the integration of the nuclear fuel cycle and the localization of component production, supporting India's plan to reach 100 GW by 2047.

This approach establishes a sustainable infrastructure pillar. Similarly, in the space field, the coordination between Roscosmos and ISRO  focuses on foundational capabilities through the joint development of rocket engines and support for manned space programs. These initiatives represent direct investment in basic scientific and industrial infrastructure, and form the basis of the two countries' decades-long systematic technological development.

The strategic planning between Moscow and New Delhi was not limited to financial or security aspects, but also extended to the core of logistical and geographical challenges by reviving continental connectivity projects.

India-Russia military cooperation is the cornerstone of the strategic partnership between the two countries, and Moscow and New Delhi are expected to seek to build a sustainable and immune defense supply chain, ensuring the flow of supplies and supporting India's security decision-making. India, in turn, is striving to diversify its sources of armaments and reduce its dependence on any single supplier, which adds a strategic dimension to its current negotiations.

The success of the 23rd Russian-Indian summit has reinforced this trend, opening up a wide range of possibilities A package of strategic deals is in front of the implementation, foremost of which is the Sukhoi 57EE fighter file, which is the most important to modernize India's air capabilities.

The acceleration is also expected to include advanced discussions on supplying New Delhi with additional battalions of the S-400 long-range air defense system, as well as strengthening the partnership in the field of ballistic missiles and localizing critical defense technology to enhance India's ability to provide regional strategic deterrence in light of the escalating risks associated with China's geopolitical expansion or traditional rivalry with Pakistan.

On this basis, the strategic cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi goes beyond the concept of trade exchange to reach the depth of defense and technology, which is a safety valve for the stability of South Asia and the Indian Ocean with its geopolitical complexities.

This path is witnessing great strides towards integrating India's deterrent capabilities through the acquisition of advanced technology, foremost among them the Sukhoi 57E fighter file, which represents a qualitative addition to India's aerospace force. In parallel, the acceleration of New Delhi's supply of additional battalions of the S-400 air defense system ensures a vital strengthening of the protection network Regionalism is far-reaching.

This coordination is not limited to military deals, but also extends to the localization of sensitive defense industry technology, and the continuation of partnership in the peaceful nuclear energy sector and the space invasion file.

Together, these technological and defense pillars clearly entrench India's deterrence power and provide a key factor in maintaining the regional balance in light of the region's changing geopolitical dynamics and traditional rivalry.

On this basis, the accelerated strategic positioning between Moscow and New Delhi, which has translated into a deep partnership in energy, advanced technology, defense, and space conquest, is reshaping the global power equation in its many dimensions.

This convergence sends clear signals that the multipolar system is no longer a political theory advocated by academia and politics, but has become a reality embodied through megaprojects such as the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and cooperation in the Arctic.

At the level of global security, this axis creates a new weight that imposes a geopolitical balance in light of major rivalries, and indirectly contributes to the redistribution of focus from traditional crisis hotspots. While it solidifies India's deterrent power in the Indian Ocean and South Asia to counter Chinese expansion and regional rivalry, it provides Russia with strategic space to move away from NATO pressure.

This new positioning inevitably affects the dynamics of conflicts stretching from the Middle East to the South China Sea, as diplomatic and military room for maneuver becomes narrower for conventional powers, reinforcing the role of regional rising powers in formulating solutions and securing global supply chains.