By C. Raja Mohan
Few ideas cause greater anxiety in the Indian strategic community than a “G-2”. It invokes fears of a US-China partnership that might produce geopolitical duopoly over Asia. But Delhi should also reflect on another G-2—a strategic accommodation between America and Russia. India has fewer reasons to fear it, although it would bring complications of its own.
US President Donald Trump’s decision last week to ease sanctions on Russian diesel puts that possibility, distant though it might be, back in focus. After a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump announced Russian supplies for American and global markets. Washington authorised diesel imports until April 2027. With diesel above six dollars a gallon and the question of inflation hovering over congressional elections on November 3, cheaper fuel for farmers and truckers is an urgent political priority for Trump.