On December 4, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in India. The same Putin, whom the West wants to paint as a villain, the one who has an ICC arrest warrant against him, India rolled out the red carpet for him. India’s message is clear: “My friend, my choice.” But why? To prove one big point — India is not afraid of Donald Trump.
By 2030, India–Russia relations could reach a completely different level. And if anyone is going to be upset by this, it’s Donald Trump. This meeting is a huge statement that India will not bow before Donald Trump. Because this meeting highlights that we have strategic autonomy.
Why does India consider Russia a friend? You’ll probably get the answer by the end of this video. Because today we are going to talk about the top 10 things that were decided between Russia and India — trade, space technology, nuclear energy… so many things were discussed in this two-day visit. All of this can get very complicated, so let’s simplify it.
If you’ve also liked this “dance”, hit that like button once. Let’s see if 5,000 Indians are happy with this dance or not. And yes, which of these 10 points is your favourite? Do tell us in the comments.
So here are the top 10 reasons why Trump is going to feel the burn:
10. End of the Dollar
Putin came to India and basically said a final goodbye to the dollar. What does that mean? India’s RuPay and Russia’s Mir payment systems are being integrated. That means Russians will be able to use Mir cards in India and Indians will be able to use RuPay in Russia — completely bypassing Visa, Mastercard, and the dollar. If America can weaponise the dollar — impose sanctions, tariffs — then India needs its own payment system too.
After the Russia–Ukraine war, Western countries blocked Russia from the SWIFT system. Yet today India's bilateral trade is $60 billion. But if Russia can’t even use dollars, how is that possible? Actually, Russian companies use Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs). A Russian bank opens a rupee account with an Indian bank, and an Indian bank opens a ruble account with a Russian bank. When an Indian company has to pay a Russian supplier, the money never leaves India—it just moves from one Indian account to another. The same rupees are then used by Russian companies to buy Indian goods. No dollar touched.
Until now, this system worked, but there was one major problem: there was a huge trade imbalance. Out of $60 billion trade, we import $56 billion from Russia and export only $4 billion. Russia earns a lot of rupees but has very little to buy from India, so those rupees were just stuck. Ideally, Russia would buy more Indian goods, but context matters.
Both countries have a target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 — almost double the current figure. Russia itself wants to buy more from India. In August 2025, the RBI solved a big Russian headache — now Russian companies can invest surplus rupees in Indian infrastructure projects and government bonds. Earlier, those rupees could only be used to buy goods. Now they can be invested. This keeps the money in India and gives Russia a safe, growing place to park it (no war here).
9. Invest in India
Russia already has investments — for example, in 2023, a company called Kinet Railway Solutions was formed witha 75% Russian stake and an upfront investment of $150 million for train manufacturing. Russia’s largest bank has announced mutual funds for Indian equities so ordinary Russians can invest here too — announced just one day after Putin’s visit, definitely not a coincidence. While many countries have closed doors to Russian money, India is welcoming it because “this is not our conflict.”
In total, 16 MoUs were signed. Both countries will invest $50 billion in each other—basically increasing the stakes so that if one grows, the other grows too. Russia wants to use its rupee balances to build fertiliser plants, start shipbuilding, etc., in India, which means more jobs and GDP growth for us.
8. Fertilisers
India is the world’s second-largest fertiliser consumer (60 crore farmers). If fertilizer prices rise, the government has to absorb the cost or give huge subsidies, leaving less money for other things. After the Russia–Ukraine war, global fertilizer prices jumped 300%. Russia is our No. 1 supplier — we imported $1.6 billion worth last year. After this meeting, stable long-term prices have been fixed, and a joint fertilizer plant will be built in Russia. Trade will happen in rupees — technically, the rupee has now gone international.
7. Space
Major agreements between ISRO and Roscosmos
- Russia will train Indian astronauts and provide life-support technology for Gaganyaan (India’s first human spaceflight).
- Russia will share advanced rocket-engine technology.
- GLONASS (Russia) + NavIC (India) integration for better navigation accuracy.
Space is expensive and difficult. Russia’s experience + India’s cost-efficiency = deadly combination, and all of this has direct military applications (satellites, navigation, reconnaissance).
6. Russians will come to India
Russians love Indian movies (Raj Kapoor is still huge there). India announced a 30-day free e-tourist visa for Russian citizens. After sanctions, Russians have very few travel options left. Russian tourists spend a lot — this will boost hotels, shoprestaurantsarant,s, and increase cultural exchange (film festivals, exhibitions announced too).
5. Indians will go to Russia
Russia has a massive labour shortage after the Ukraine war. Huge demand in construction, manufacturing, shipbuilding, oil & gas, and IT. India has millions of skilled/semi-skilled youth looking for jobs (9 million Indians already go to Gulf countries every year). Russia can become a new corridor with a proper legal framework, good salaries (comparable or higher than the Gulf in many sectors), and less chance of exploitation.
4. Clean Energy / Nuclear
India needs massive 24×7 clean electricity to become a developed nation by 2047. Nuclear is the only reliable baseload clean option. Decisions taken:
- Kudankulam units 5 & 6 fast-tracked.
- A second site in India has been identified for more Russian-designed reactors.
- Decades-long guaranteed nuclear fuel supply from Russia.
- Joint manufacturing of nuclear equipment and fuel assemblies in India.
Russia offers the full package with no restrictions (unlike the US and France, which impose NSG rules and testing restrictions, etc.). Kudankulam has been running smoothly for 30+ years — proven track record.
3. America’s hypocrisy exposed
Putin directly called out U.S. double standards: “Why is the U.S. punishing India for buying Russian oil when America itself imports Russian uranium and palladium?” (50% of U.S. enriched uranium comes from Russia). He said such restrictions violate WTO rules and sent a subtle message to Trump that American tariffs won’t affect India–Russia ties. If anyone gets hurt, it will be American consumers.
2. Transport Corridors
Two new trade corridors were pushed:
- International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC): Mumbai → Iran (Chabahar) → Caspian Sea → Russia → Europe in 25–30 days (vs 40–60 days via Suez) and 30% cheaper.
- Chennai–Vladivostok eastern maritime route (22–25 days).
These routes bypass vulnerable chokepoints (Suez, Malacca) and also bypass Pakistan, giving us access to Central Asia and Afghanistan.
1. Border Security / Defence
60–70% of India’s military hardware is of Russian origin (Su-30, T-90, S-400, BrahMos, submarines, INS Vikramaditya, etc.). If Russia stops spare parts tomorrow, half our air force and tanks would be grounded — this is a national-security issue. The biggest announcement: Russia will now manufacture spare parts and components inside India (joint production). Even if new sanctions are imposed, locally made parts can keep our forces operational, and we can even export them to friendly countries. Russia offers “no strings attached” defence partnership — no conflict of interest.
India wanted to prove that it has friends even without America. Everything discussed over the past two days points to that. If Trump can call Pakistan’s army chief “his favourite field marshal” and impose 50% tariffs on India, India is not going to back down either. This wasn’t just diplomacy — it was a loud message that a multipolar world has arrived and India will not be a side character; India will be a main character. 16 agreements, 10 game-changing outcomes, and one clear signal: India will live on its own terms.
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