🌐 Diplomatic Realignment: Is India Reactivating the RIC (Russia-India-China) Forum?

📅 21 July 2025 | The Daily Pulse India
✍️ By Sachin S. Sanghavi

🇮🇳 India-Russia-China Triangle: Making a Comeback?

Global diplomacy is abuzz with talks of reviving the strategic trilateral platform — RIC (Russia-India-China). While Russia and China have openly supported the idea of reactivating this format, India has responded cautiously, signaling openness to discussions, but no concrete date or summit has been set yet.

🧭 What is RIC?

RIC is a strategic trilateral dialogue platform between Russia, India, and China, originally initiated in the late 1990s. It aims to foster cooperation on global governance, multipolarity, energy security, and regional stability. The forum has been inactive since 2020 due to COVID-19 disruptions and India-China border tensions.

🇷🇺 Russia’s Initiative

• Russia has taken the lead in proposing the revival of RIC.
• Moscow has officially communicated with both India and China.
• Russian officials stated the forum could help balance Western influence and strengthen Asia’s collective voice in global affairs.

🇨🇳 China’s Endorsement

• China backed Russia’s proposal, declaring: “Beijing is fully ready to restart RIC multilateral dialogue.”
• China sees RIC as a counterbalance to US-led alliances in the Indo-Pacific.

🇮🇳 India’s Measured Response

• India has not confirmed any dates but issued a statement: “Reviving RIC will be considered, provided all three sides agree on a mutually convenient time.”
• India continues its strategic balancing policy, carefully navigating ties between traditional allies (Russia, China) and its expanding partnerships with the West (Quad, I2U2).

🛢️ EU Strikes India’s Energy Core: Sanctions on Nayara Energy

Amidst talks of diplomatic revival, a significant development has shaken India’s energy sector — the European Union (EU) has imposed sanctions on India’s Nayara Energy, a key refinery based in Vadinar, Gujarat.

❗ What Happened?

• Nayara Energy, partly owned by Russia’s Rosneft (49.13%), was added to the EU’s 18th sanctions package.
• These sanctions restrict the trade, shipping, insurance, and financing of petroleum products refined from Russian crude oil.
• This is the first time an Indian refinery has been directly impacted by EU sanctions tied to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

🇷🇺 Russia’s Reaction

• Rosneft slammed the move as “politically motivated and unfair”, warning that such actions jeopardize India’s energy security.

🇮🇳 India’s Stand

• India has urged the EU to reconsider, calling the sanctions “unwarranted interference in India’s internal economic affairs.”
• Experts warn the sanctions could indirectly impact other Indian refiners like Reliance, which also purchase discounted Russian crude.

🧮 Strategic Dilemma: Walking the Tightrope Between East and West

India now finds itself walking a geopolitical tightrope — balancing its traditional allies with its new strategic partners.

📝 Conclusion

India’s foreign policy is entering a critical phase, where the revival of RIC and the EU sanctions on Nayara Energy reflect conflicting global power plays.

While Russia and China look to revive strategic trilaterals, India must decide whether to embrace the shift or play it safe with Western allies. If handled strategically, RIC could offer India greater diplomatic flexibility, but the price of imbalance could be high.

🔖 Tags #RIC #IndiaRussiaChina #NayaraSanctions #Geopolitics #EnergySecurity #EUIndiaTensions #ForeignPolicy #BRICS #Quad