Putin Sent Some Veiled Messages To Pakistan In His Interview With Indian Media

They’re meant to convey to Pakistan that India is and always will be Russia’s top partner in South Asia, so nobody there or elsewhere should imagine that the improvement of Russian-Pakistani relations is aimed against India in any way or will ever take such forms.

Putin gave an extended interview to the Aaj Tak and India Today TV channels on the eve of his visit to India. They covered a wide range of subjects, and while he didn’t directly address Pakistan, he nevertheless still sent some veiled messages to it. The first was when he declared that “India is a major global player, not a British colony, and everyone must accept this reality.” Amidst troubled Indo-US ties and the rapid Pakistani-US rapprochement, the message is that India won’t be coerced or contained.

This point was reinforced by him adding that “Prime Minister Modi is not someone who succumbs to pressure easily…His stance is unwavering and straightforward, without being confrontational. Our goal is not to provoke conflict; rather, we aim to protect our lawful rights. India does the same.” As a reminder, Pakistan accused India of aggression for conventionally retaliating after the Pahalgam terrorist attack that it blamed on Islamabad, yet Putin just implied that this was actually justified and legal.

India relied heavily on Russian equipment during the resultant war, but it would be wrong to assume that their contemporary military-technical cooperation is aimed against Pakistan like some pro-Western pundits tied to its Western-aligned de facto military junta allege. Putin clarified that “neither me nor Prime Minister Modi, despite certain external pressure we face, have ever – and I want to emphasise this, I want you to hear it – approached our collaboration to work against someone.”

Putin was then asked about Russia’s approach towards the “fundamental unresolved issues between key member states” of the SCO, to which he responded that “we share a common understanding that we have common values rooted in our traditional beliefs, which underpin our civilisations such as India’s civilisation for already hundreds, if not thousands, of years.” The message here is that India is an ancient civilization-state, not some new and artificial post-colonial creation like some Pakistani revisionists claim.

He was also asked about how Russia balances between India and China, to which he answered by expressing optimism that they’ll resolve their differences. He importantly began by saying that “I do not believe we have the right to interfere in your bilateral relations” and ended by reaffirming that “Russia does not feel entitled to intervene, because these are your bilateral affairs.” This politely contradicts his Ambassador to Pakistan’s recent politically misguided proposal to mediate between India and Pakistan.

Putin’s last veiled message to Pakistan was when he said that “To achieve freedom (for those who believe that it’s been denied to them), we must use lawful means only. Any actions involving criminal methods or those harming people cannot be supported…In these matters, India is our full ally, and we completely support India’s fight against terrorism.” Accordingly, he’s against some Kashmiri separatists’ use of crime and terror, ergo Russia’s full support of India’s response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

All in all, these messages are meant to convey to Pakistan that India is and always will be Russia’s top partner in South Asia, so nobody there or elsewhere should imagine that the improvement of Russian-Pakistani relations is aimed against India in any way or will ever take such forms. His own country’s pro-BRI policymaking faction, which is responsible for sending some mixed signals about Russian-Indian relations as explained in the seven analyses enumerated here, should also take note of what he said.