Last December, Xi had called Putin an 'old friend'. Kicking off an invasion of Ukraine in the middle of Beijing's Winter Olympics could throw a wrench into such warmth.
As scholars of the politics and culture of Ukraine and Russia, we know that underpinning Putin’s goal is Russia’s historical view of Ukraine as a part of its greater empire.
Talks follow a Biden-Putin telephonic exchange on 7 December in which the US president warned that Russian aggression would be met with unprecedented economic penalties.
President Putin and PM Modi held summit-level talks Monday in New Delhi. The nations signed agreements ranging from commercial deals to cooperation programmes.
The $5.43 bn S-400 deal could invite US sanctions but India believes it is in the country’s security interests. The Annual India-Russia Summit will focus on defence, trade ties.
Words like 'ghuspethiye' or 'tushtikaran' resonate very little in West Bengal, nor do phrases like 'mangalsutra' or Amit Shah's distortion of Mamata Banerjee's 'Maa, Mati, Manush' slogan into 'mullah, madrasa, mafia'.
In 2021, the government allowed telcos to convert interest on deferred spectrum payments and AGR dues into equity. This made it the single largest stakeholder in Vodafone Idea.
New Delhi has, in past, too, objected to Chinese construction activities in Shaksgam Valley. Work in this strategic region gathered pace after the 2017 Doklam stand-off.
A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.
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