Latest news with #YevgenyPrimakov
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Why China-Russia ‘troika' talks are back on India's table
As friction with the West builds over energy imports and trade, India is weighing a delicate recalibration: reviving its long-dormant trilateral dialogue with Russia and China , even as it insists it remains committed to its partnerships with the US and its allies. Advertisement India indicated earlier this month its openness to resuming the Russia-India-China (RIC) dialogue, a platform established in the early 2000s to foster coordination among the three Eurasian powers. Describing the RIC as a consultative mechanism for addressing shared regional and global challenges, New Delhi's Ministry of External Affairs emphasised on July 17 that any decision on resuming talks would be taken 'in a mutually convenient manner'. No timeline was provided for when this might happen. The move came just weeks after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had voiced strong support for reviving the format. Speaking at a conference last month, Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's desire to 'confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika – Russia, India, China – which was established many years ago on the initiative of former Russian prime minister Yevgeny Primakov'. Former Russian PM Yevgeny Primakov (left) with his Indian counterpart Atal Behari Vajpayee in 1998, the year he called for the creation of a 'strategic triangle' between Russia, India and China. Photo: AFP Analysts suggest the impetus behind India's overture stems from growing frustration with what it perceives as Western 'double standards'. Sriparna Pathak, a professor of China studies and international relations at O.P. Jindal Global University in India, pointed to recent warnings from Nato chief Mark Rutte that India could face ' 100 per cent secondary sanctions ' for buying Russian oil.
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
RIC reboot: Can Trump threats revive Russia-India-China troika?
The geopolitical winds in Eurasia appear to be shifting again. After years of dormancy, Russia has renewed its push to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral mechanism, with China quickly endorsing the idea. India , though more cautious, has signaled a tentative openness to such an initiative. This rekindling of interest in the RIC dialogue comes at a critical juncture when all three nations are facing varying degrees of pressure from the West—most notably in the energy trade domain. How RIC began and how it went dormant The RIC framework was first proposed in the late 1990s by former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, envisioning a strategic counterbalance to the unipolarity that followed the Cold War. The logic was straightforward: three large Eurasian powers with significant regional influence could work together to shape a multipolar world order. Through the 2000s and early 2010s, RIC held regular meetings at ministerial and senior official levels. While it never evolved into a military or economic bloc like NATO or the EU, it served as a valuable backchannel and coordination forum—especially on multilateral platforms like the UN and WTO . It also acted as a conceptual forerunner to newer groupings such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The RIC mechanism gradually fell into disuse for two main reasons. The pandemic led to the suspension of many multilateral forums, and RIC meetings were no exception. In-person diplomacy came to a halt, and virtual summits were largely prioritized for more urgent formats like G20 or BRICS. Secondly, the Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh in 2020 marked a major downturn in India-China relations. Trust eroded sharply, and any trilateral format involving both countries became politically unviable for New Delhi. Joint work under RIC was effectively frozen, with India unwilling to share a forum with Beijing amid unresolved border issues. Live Events Oil sanctions have become a common pressure point The West's response to Russia's continued military operations in Ukraine has intensified, with renewed secondary sanctions threats --- led by US President Donald Trump and NATO - targeting countries that continue to purchase Russian oil. The talk of RIC revival comes right amid threats of sanctions. Interestingly, it is the three RIC countries - Russia, India and China - which are on target because China and India are the biggest buyers of Russian oil. Much before Trump's threatened secondary sanctions kick in after the grace period, the EU has fired a warning shot. As part of its fresh sanctions package on Russia, the EU has imposed sanctions on the Indian oil refinery Vadinar in which Russian energy giant Rosneft holds a stake and lowered the oil price cap. The European Union's recent move has sent a clear signal. The West is no longer merely warning but it has intention to act. This shared economic vulnerability is pushing Russia, India and China to reconsider closer coordination. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov put it, the need for "strategic autonomy" and "multipolarity" is more relevant than ever. Can India afford to become part of an anti-West axis? China's support for reviving RIC follows a subtle but unmistakable thaw in India-China relations. Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar recently visited China for the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting and held bilateral talks with both Wang Yi and Sergey Lavrov. Significantly, Dr. Jaishankar also met President Xi Jinping, an indication of top-level political intent to stabilize ties. While New Delhi remains wary of Beijing, both sides understand the limitations of permanent hostility. India wants to avoid a two-front confrontation (with China and Pakistan) while also maintaining room to maneuver in a highly fluid global order. Re-engaging through RIC, even cautiously, fits this appraoch. There are clear drivers for reviving RIC. These would be counterbalancing Western dominance in sanctions and global rule-making; energy security coordination, especially on payment mechanisms, shipping logistics, and price caps; and promoting multipolarity, where emerging powers like India don't have to "choose sides" in the US-China competition. But there are equally strong limitations. The US-India strategic relationship is at an all-time high, covering defense, technology, intelligence-sharing and semiconductors. India is a member of the Quad (with the US, Japan, and Australia) and I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE, US), and it has growing trade ties with the EU. Importantly, India is unlikely to trust Beijing fully unless there is meaningful progress on the border dispute. RIC cannot function if India sees it merely as a vehicle for Chinese or Russian strategic interests. Full-fledged participation in a revived RIC could be perceived in Washington and Brussels as a tilt toward the Russia-China axis --- something New Delhi has carefully avoided even while buying Russian oil. India's official statement that any decision on RIC will be taken "in a mutually convenient manner" is telling. It shows New Delhi is not closing the door but is also not walking in without evaluating the consequences. If RIC is revived, it will likely be in a limited and issue-specific format, focusing perhaps on energy coordination, climate policy and regional connectivity. A full-spectrum trilateral strategic alignment is unlikely unless geopolitical conditions change drastically. The revival of RIC is not merely symbolic. It reflects deeper realignments in a world where traditional alliances are shifting. For Russia and China, it's about finding solidarity amid sanctions. For India, it's about preserving space for independent foreign policy when its strategic choices are being limited by Trump and the EU. But RIC's future will depend on whether the three nations can build mutual trust, and not just over oil, but on the broader canvas . The troika may be reviving, but its path will be cautious, transactional and far from smooth, given the wide cracks that persist in India-China relations and India's strong ties with the US and major European powers.
Russia Today
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
China backs trilateral cooperation with Russia and India
Beijing is ready to advance trilateral cooperation with Moscow and New Delhi under the RIC (Russia-India-China) format, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman has said. This statement came a few hours after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Moscow is holding discussions with its two key partners to revive the format. 'China-India-Russia cooperation not only serves the respective interests of the three countries, but also helps uphold peace and security and progress in the region and the world,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a briefing in Beijing on Thursday. 'China stands ready to maintain communication with Russia and India on advancing the trilateral cooperation.' The geopolitical troika was first conceptualized by Russian statesman and former prime minister Yevgeny Primakov in the 1990s to challenge the unipolar world order established by the United States. Although the idea was subsumed by BRICS, the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China have held 18 meetings in the RIC format. 🇷🇺🇮🇳🇨🇳RIC Troika Aligns with Respective Interests – Beijing 'China is willing to maintain communication with Russia and India to advance trilateral cooperation,' 🇨🇳FM spox Lin Jian cooperation also 'contributes to regional and global peace, security, stability, and… 'We are interested in bringing this format back to life because these three countries are not only important partners but also founding members of BRICS,' Rudenko said on Thursday. 'The absence of the RIC mechanism seems inappropriate under current global conditions.' New Delhi has also confirmed the talks with Moscow and Beijing. 'As to when this particular RIC format meeting is going to be held, it is something that will be worked out among the three countries in a mutually convenient manner, and we will let you know as and when that happens at an appropriate time when the meeting is to take place,' Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday. In June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the recent thaw in relations between India and China presented a good opportunity to revive the trilateral group. 'Now that, as I understand it, an understanding is being reached between India and China on how to calm the border situation, I believe the time has come to revive the RIC trio,' he said at a Eurasian security conference.
Russia Today
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
China ready to advance trilateral cooperation with Russia and India
Beijing is ready to advance trilateral cooperation with Moscow and New Delhi under the RIC (Russia-India-China) format, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman has said. This statement came a few hours after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that Moscow is holding discussions with its two key partners to revive the format. 'China-India-Russia cooperation not only serves the respective interests of the three countries, but also helps uphold peace and security and progress in the region and the world,' Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said at a briefing in Beijing on Thursday. 'China stands ready to maintain communication with Russia and India on advancing the trilateral cooperation.' The geopolitical troika was first conceptualized by Russian statesman and former prime minister Yevgeny Primakov in the 1990s to challenge the unipolar world order established by the United States. Although the idea was subsumed by BRICS, the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China have held 18 meetings in the RIC format. 🇷🇺🇮🇳🇨🇳RIC Troika Aligns with Respective Interests – Beijing 'China is willing to maintain communication with Russia and India to advance trilateral cooperation,' 🇨🇳FM spox Lin Jian cooperation also 'contributes to regional and global peace, security, stability, and… 'We are interested in bringing this format back to life because these three countries are not only important partners but also founding members of BRICS,' Rudenko said on Thursday. 'The absence of the RIC mechanism seems inappropriate under current global conditions.' New Delhi has also confirmed the talks with Moscow and Beijing. 'As to when this particular RIC format meeting is going to be held, it is something that will be worked out among the three countries in a mutually convenient manner, and we will let you know as and when that happens at an appropriate time when the meeting is to take place,' Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday. In June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the recent thaw in relations between India and China presented a good opportunity to revive the trilateral group. 'Now that, as I understand it, an understanding is being reached between India and China on how to calm the border situation, I believe the time has come to revive the RIC trio,' he said at a Eurasian security conference.
The Wire
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
To Russia and China's Push for Revival of Trilateral Platform, India Gives a Tepid Response
New Delhi: India on July 17 gave a lukewarm public reception to the recent push by Russia and China to revive the trilateral format that has remained dormant for several years due to tensions between the two Asian giants. The Russia-India-China (RIC) format, initiated by then Russian foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov in 1996, has not held a meeting in recent years, largely due to the military standoff between India and China in Eastern Ladakh since 2020. While both Moscow and Beijing have expressed fresh interest in restarting the mechanism, India appears to be treading carefully. At the weekly media briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the RIC was a consultative platform, but avoided confirming any imminent meeting. 'Look, this consultative format is a mechanism where the three countries come and discuss global issues and regional issues of interest to them. As to when this particular RIC format meeting is going to be held, it is something that will be worked out among the three countries in a mutually convenient manner, and we will let you know as and when that happens at an appropriate time when the meeting is to take place,' Jaiswal said. Indian official sources were more categorical that no meeting of the RIC format has been agreed to so far. 'There are no discussions underway on its scheduling,' said a source. Meanwhile, both Russia and China publicly threw their weight behind efforts to restart the format. Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko told Russian news portal Izvestia that Moscow had raised the issue with both India and China. 'This topic appears in our negotiations with both of them. We are interested in making this format work, because these three countries are important partners, besides the founders of BRICS,' he said. He added that the absence of the trilateral forum 'looks inappropriate' and expressed hope that it could be revived 'when relations between these states reach a level that allows them to work in a trilateral format.' In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian endorsed Rudenko's comments. 'China-Russia-India cooperation not only serves the respective interests of the three countries but also helps uphold peace, security, stability and progress in the region and the world,' he said in answer to a question from Russian state news agency TASS at the daily briefing. Lin added that China is ready to maintain communication with Russia and India to advance trilateral cooperation. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who has consistently advocated for reviving the RIC over the years, reiterated his support for the format, which had been first disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and then stalled by the India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh. 'Now that tensions along the India-China border have significantly eased, in my assessment, and the situation is normalising with ongoing dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing, I believe we can revive this trilateral format,' Lavrov said in June. Bilateral exchanges between India and China came to a standstill following the 2020 standoff and the clash in Galwan, but dialogue has gradually resumed over the past nine months after prime minister Narendra Modi met Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan last year.
