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    COVER STORY                                                       NOVEMBER 07, 2025        |  The Indian Eye                    5

            Vladimir Putin’s scheduled visit
            to India in December underscores
            that the partnership endures despite
            Western displeasure. India’s deci-
            sion-making, officials repeat, is guid-
            ed by “national interest, affordabil-
            ity, and global market conditions”
            — principles that anchor its foreign
            policy  even  when  the  world  divides
            into rival energy blocs.
                India’s  ties  with Russia remain
            one of its most enduring and multifac-
            eted strategic relationships, rooted in
            decades of defense cooperation, en-
            ergy partnership, and shared global
            outlook. Moscow has long been New
            Delhi’s principal defense supplier,
            providing advanced systems such as
            the S-400 air defense missile, nucle-
            ar-powered  submarines,  and  fighter
            aircraft that form the backbone of
            India’s  military  capability.  Beyond
            defense, Russia is a key energy part-
            ner—supplying crude oil, LNG, and
            nuclear fuel—and collaborating on    India has large refining capacity but it imports a lot of oil. In recent years, Russia has been the biggest supplier of crude oil to India (File photo)
            civilian nuclear projects like Kudank-
            ulam. The partnership also extends   percent of the landed cost of U.S.   integrated energy-shipping infrastruc-  is today. What distinguishes this mo-
            to platforms such as BRICS, the   crude and 2 percent for Middle East-  ture. The broader vision ties directly   ment is New Delhi’s determination to
            Shanghai Cooperation Organization   ern  barrels,  inflating  India’s  already   to  emerging  trade  corridors  such  as   convert vulnerability into leverage. By
            (SCO), and the Eurasian Economic   large import bill. By developing its   the  India-Middle East-Europe  Eco-  maintaining  diversified  suppliers  —
            Union, where both countries advo-  own  fleet  and  financing  ecosystem   nomic Corridor and the Internation-  from Russia and the Middle East to
            cate a multipolar world order and   — through new ship-owning enti-  al North-South Transport Corridor,   the United States — and by investing
            greater Global South representation.   ties, a Maritime Development Fund,   which will connect Indian ports to   in domestic logistics and shipbuild-
            As Western alliances shift and global   and revised shipbuilding assistance   Europe, Central Asia, and Africa. In   ing, India is building strategic auton-
            sanctions deepen, India continues to   policies — India aims to retain val-  Puri’s words, “Our oceans are not bar-  omy into its energy system. The Cha-
            view Russia as a strategic partner—  ue within its economy while creating   riers but bridges to a better future.”  bahar exemption and ongoing U.S.
            balancing historic trust with prag-  a new industrial base. Shipyards in                              cooperation in clean-energy projects
            matic  diversification  in  technology,   Cochin, Visakhapatnam, Kattupalli,   ENERGY SOVEREIGNTY     show that Washington understands
            trade, and energy security.       and Kolkata are ramping up capacity,                                the need to accommodate India’s
                                              supported by technology partnerships   ndia’s evolving  energy policy re-  approach rather than confront it.
              BUILDING AN ENERGY FLEET        with Daewoo and Mitsui. Puri also    flects a pragmatic realism born of   Still, the path ahead will be com-
                                              highlighted the government’s success  Iexperience. The country has en-  plex. Energy transitions worldwide
                     hile diplomatic maneuvers   in doubling port capacity over the past   dured oil shocks, sanctions, and sup-  are speeding up, but for a developing
                     attract attention, a quieter   decade and cutting turnaround times   ply disruptions before, but never with   economy of India’s scale, hydrocar-
            Wrevolution is underway in        by half, laying the groundwork for an   its economy as globally integrated as it   bons will remain central for at least
            India’s maritime policy. Speaking at                                                                  two more decades. As consumption
            India Maritime Week 2025, Petro-                                                                      rises and freight routes evolve, own-
            leum  Minister  Hardeep  Singh  Puri                                                                  ing the means of transport may prove
            announced plans for India to build its                                                                as important as securing the oil itself.
            own fleet of oil tankers — a decisive                                                                 The government’s ambition to at-
            step toward reducing dependence on                                                                    tract nearly USD 95 billion in mari-
            foreign shipping. At present, India’s                                                                 time investment and generate 15 mil-
            three major oil marketing compa-                                                                      lion jobs by 2047 is both an economic
            nies — Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum,                                                                  and geopolitical statement: India in-
            and  Hindustan  Petroleum  —  spend                                                                   tends not just to import energy but to
            roughly  USD  8  billion  every  five                                                                 command the routes through which
            years on chartering foreign vessels.                                                                  energy moves.
            Despite oil and gas forming nearly 28                                                                     In that sense, the interplay be-
            percent of India’s total trade by vol-                                                                tween sanctions, exemptions, and
            ume, only about one-fifth of that car-                                                                infrastructure building is more than
            go moves under the Indian flag. “This                                                                 a diplomatic balancing act — it is the
            challenge we are now turning into an                                                                  architecture of a future where India
            opportunity,” Puri declared, framing                                                                  fuels its growth on its own terms. The
            the initiative as part of the govern-                                                                 energy it seeks is not only in barrels
            ment’s “Make in India, Sail for the                                                                   of  crude  but  in  the  confidence  of
            World” vision.                      To cut down its dependence on foreign shipping fleet, the Indian government has decided to   self-reliance, as  it  sails  through an
                The numbers make the case                           create its own fleet (File photo)             era where oil, politics, and power re-
            clear. Freight alone adds up to 10                                                                    main inseparably intertwined.

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