Russia remains India’s largest supplier of defence and strategic equipment. It is important the relationship strengthens in other areas too to avoid a slow burnout.

The Russian Ambassador to New Delhi said all the right things. Russia, he insisted, remained India’s BFF (best friend forever for the uninitiated) despite its recent flirtation with Pakistan. But it will take a lot more than mere protestations of undying love to convince New Delhi that its ties with Moscow are still what they were at the peak of the Indo-Soviet romance during the Cold War.