New Delhi (ABC Live): When Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, he does so at a time when global order is under deep strain. At present, Europe remains at war; meanwhile, West Asia stays tense; and at the same time, the Indo-Pacific is turning into a zone of steady military build-up.

As a result, sanctions, tariffs, and energy pressure now shape world politics more than treaties do. Therefore, for India, this summit is not about ceremony at all. Instead, it is a direct test of strategic freedom in an age where trade, money, and energy are used as tools of pressure.

At the same time, India is managing three key roles:

• First, it buys discounted Russian oil to secure energy for 1.4 billion people.
• Second, it builds deep defence and tech ties with the US, EU, Japan, and Israel.
• Third, it plays a central role in BRICS, SCO, and G20 as a system-shaping power.

Earlier, these tracks moved side by side. Now, however, Putin India Visit 2025 brings them into direct contact. Consequently, the visit tests whether a multi-aligned policy can survive in a world shaped by trade pressure, security blocs, and sanctions politics.

This summit will not announce a “new world order.” Even so, it will quietly shape how power, money, security, and peace efforts work in the years ahead.\

For readers seeking a deeper historical and strategic foundation of this partnership, ABC Live has previously published a detailed backgrounder: Explained: India–Russia Relations in the New World Order, which traces the evolution of defence, energy, diplomacy, and economic alignment between New Delhi and Moscow. (https://abclive.in/2025/10/13/explained-india-russia-relations-in-the-new-world-order/

Why Putin’s India Visit 2025 Is Structurally Different?

Today’s global setting is unlike anything seen in decades. On one side, wars and rivalries are rising. On the other side, trade and finance are increasingly used as tools of force. As a result, the line between economics and security is fading.

Because of this, older global bodies struggle to act. Moreover, global rules are often bypassed. Therefore, even a single bilateral summit now carries global weight far beyond diplomacy.

Energy After Putin India Visit 2025: The New Power Tool

After the Ukraine war began, India reshaped its oil map at record speed. As a result, Russia soon became India’s top oil supplier.

Table 1: India’s Crude Oil Import Shift

Because of this shift:

• First, Russia acted as India’s shield against global oil price shocks.
• Next, India saved billions of dollars between 2022 and 2024.
• At the same time, Western price limits failed to stop Russian oil, since India and China absorbed the supply.

Now, during Putin’s India Visit 2025, both sides aim to lock in:

• Long-term oil supply deals,
• Stronger shipping and insurance support,
• And wider non-Western energy routes.

Taken together, these steps reduce Western control over global energy flows. In turn, this weakens energy-based political pressure.

Trade and Currency After Putin’s India Visit 2025:

The Quiet Battle for Financial Freedom

While energy dominates the headlines, trade and currency systems form the silent backbone of real power after the Putin India Visit 2025. In fact, what oil achieved through price advantage, payments and trade must now be secured through financial design. Therefore, this section explains how money, settlement systems, and trade balance are becoming the next battlefield of strategic autonomy.

At first glance, India–Russia trade appears to be a success story. However, beneath the high numbers lies a deep structural imbalance that cannot be ignored.

India–Russia Trade Shift in One Snapshot

Clearly, trade expanded at record speed after the Ukraine war. However, this growth came almost entirely from Indian oil imports, not from balanced two-way trade. As a result, Russian exporters have earned large rupee surpluses trapped inside India’s banking system.

Why Rupee–Rouble Trade Matters Now More Than Ever

Earlier, most India–Russia trade ran through dollar-based systems. However, sanctions disrupted that model almost overnight. Therefore, both countries had to move quickly toward:

• Rupee–rouble settlement,
• Direct bank-to-bank trade clearing, and
• Shielded payment routing outside Western networks.

As a result, Russian oil revenues now sit inside Indian rupee accounts. At first, this created friction. However, after Putin India Visit 2025, both sides are now working to convert this limitation into a strategic tool.

Therefore, Russia is now pushing India to accept:

• Pharmaceutical imports from India,
• Heavy equipment and industrial machines,
• Fertilisers and chemicals, and
• Agricultural and food exports.

In return, India gains something even more valuable:
a payment channel that does not collapse the moment sanctions tighten.

Thus, while this is not full de-dollarisation, it represents a tested backup system for financial survival during economic conflict.

Why the Dollar Still Matters—but Less Than Before

At the same time, it is important to stay realistic. The dollar still rules global finance. Moreover:

• Oil benchmarks still use the dollar,
• Most shipping insurance still clears in dollars,
• And most trade finance still depends on Western banks.

However, Putin’s India Visit 2025 marks a shift from dependence to diversification. Instead of trying to replace the dollar overnight, India is:

• Adding parallel channels,
• Testing settlement flexibility, and
• Reducing future shock exposure.

As a result, India now holds a hybrid financial posture:

• It trades in dollars where easy,
• And it shifts to rupees where pressure rises.

This dual-track system greatly slows the impact of future sanction waves.

Trade Corridors and Shipping After Putin’s India Visit 2025

Trade is not only about money. It also depends on routes, insurance, and cargo security. Therefore, alongside currency talks, the summit also pushes:

• Alternative shipping cover outside Western insurers,
• Stronger links through non-Western port networks,
• And deeper use of corridor-style logistics chains.

Consequently, India and Russia are quietly reducing dependence on choke points controlled by hostile regulators. Over time, this protects both sides against trade blockades triggered by sudden political tension.

Why This Matters for the New World Order

Putin’s India Visit 2025 turns trade and currency into a clear test case of financial independence under pressure. If this model holds, three major shifts follow:

• First, sanctions lose their instant shock power.
• Second, smaller nations gain confidence to test non-dollar routes.
• Third, global finance slowly shifts from one centre to multiple centres.

Thus, currency architecture becomes just as important as military alliances.

Limits and Risks Still Remain

However, this shift is not without danger. Even now:

• Settlement delays still occur,
• Shipping cover remains fragile,
• And full convertibility between the rupee and the rouble remains limited.

Moreover, if Western pressure tightens sharply, banks could face new compliance risks. Therefore, while the system is improving, it remains a work in progress, not a finished shield.

In conclusion, trade and currency after Putin’s India Visit 2025 represent the most silent yet most powerful front of global change. Oil wins today’s price wars. However, payment systems decide who survives tomorrow’s sanctions.

As a result, India is no longer just managing trade volume—it is designing a survival-grade financial system for an era of permanent pressure. And although the dollar remains dominant, its monopoly is now visibly contested at the margins.

In the long run, it will not be speeches or summits that reshape the world order. Instead, it will be settlement systems, shipping insurance, and quiet banking agreements that decide who holds real power.

Defence Realignment After Putin’s India Visit 2025

India is also changing how it buys weapons. Over time, it has moved from heavy dependence to wider defence choice.

Table 3: India’s Defence Import Mix

Core Defence Topics in 2025

• S-400 air defence deployment,
• Talks on Su-57 stealth fighters,
• New BrahMos missile versions,
• RELOS military logistics pact.

Strategic Meaning

India clearly refuses to fall fully into:

• A US-led security bloc, or
• A China-led power group.

Instead, it builds a wide and flexible defence network. As a result, it protects freedom of choice across rival power centres.

BRICS, SCO and Power Balance After Putin’s India Visit 2025

Global power now moves along three main tracks.

Three Main Power Models Today

Because India stays active with Russia:

• First, Russia remains inside a broader Asian balance.
• Second, India blocks BRICS from turning into a narrow power tool.
• As a result, global power remains plural and open, not locked into rigid camps.

US Tariffs and Strategic Pressure During Putin’s India Visit 2025

The United States continues to use economic tools for pressure. At the same time, India continues to defend its policy space.

Table 4: Main Pressure Tools on India

Even after tariff pressure, India still buys Russian oil. Therefore, Putin’s India Visit 2025 becomes a live test of whether a large economy can defend its energy choices under pressure.

Conflict Mediation After Putin’s India Visit 2025

At present, India keeps steady links with:

• Washington
• Moscow
• Kyiv
• Tehran
• Tel Aviv
• Riyadh

Because of this wide reach, Putin’s visit further strengthens India’s role as a quiet bridge between rival powers. Over time, this may open space for non-Western peace paths, especially in long wars.

 Does Putin’s India Visit 2025 Change the World Order?

What It Changes

✅ Weakens one-sided sanctions power
✅ Grows non-dollar trade routes
✅ Strengthens multi-power security links
✅ Keeps BRICS open and balanced
✅ Expands Global South policy choice

What It Does Not Change

❌ NATO’s military scale
❌ The dollar’s main role
❌ China’s factory strength
❌ Russia’s war limits

Final Conclusion

Putin’s India Visit 2025 does not create a new world order. However, it clearly shows that the old order can no longer force full obedience on large, independent nations.

Instead, what is now taking shape is a competitive and often confusing multipolar system, where countries balance ties rather than choose rigid sides. Ultimately, within this shifting space, India no longer acts as a follower of any bloc. Rather, it works as a swing stabiliser, shaping outcomes through balance, not dominance.

Verified References: Trade & Currency After Putin India Visit 2025

1. India–Russia Trade Data (Official Indian Government)

Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India – Export-Import Data Bank
https://tradestat.commerce.gov.in/

(Used for bilateral trade figures, import-export values, and commodity breakdowns)

2. India’s Russian Oil Imports & Share Data

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas – Monthly Petroleum Statistics
https://mopng.gov.in/en/monthly-petroleum-statistics

International Energy Agency (IEA) – Oil Market Reports
https://www.iea.org/reports/oil-market-report

(Basis for Russia supplying ~36–40% of India’s crude imports post-2022)

3. RBI Position on Rupee Trade & Local Currency Settlement

Reserve Bank of India – Framework for International Trade Settlement in INR (2022 Circular)
https://rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=12358

(Foundation for rupee–rouble and local currency trade settlement)

4. Russia’s Use of Rupee Accounts for Oil Trade

Reuters – Russia’s Oil Trade in Rupees with India
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/exclusive-india-russia-work-rupee-trade-mechanism-2023-05-25/

(Confirms accumulation of Russian oil revenues in Indian rupee accounts)

5. Sberbank & Russian Banking Push in India

Reuters – Sberbank Plans, Trade Settlement & Labour Payments
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/russias-sberbank-sets-sights-india-expanding-trade-2024-02-13/

(Supports banking expansion and payment routing outside Western rails)

6. Sanctions Impact on Russian Banking & Trade

US Treasury – OFAC Sanctions Program on Russia
https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/russia-related-sanctions

EU Sanctions Map – Russia
https://www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main

(Confirms global banking restrictions driving non-dollar payments)

7. International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC)

Ministry of External Affairs – INSTC Brief
https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/INSTC_Brief.pdf

(Supports corridor-based alternative logistics routing)

8. IMF Data on Dollar Dominance in Global Payments

IMF – Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves (COFER)
https://data.imf.org/regular.aspx?key=41175

(Confirms continued dollar dominance despite diversification)

9. UN Comtrade – Global Trade & Sanctions-Affected Routes

United Nations Comtrade Database
https://comtradeplus.un.org/

(Used for cross-verification of trade flow shifts)

10. SIPRI & BIS (For Financial & Defence Cross-Context)

Bank for International Settlements – Global Payments & Banking
https://www.bis.org/statistics/index.htm

(Used to support shifts in financial routing and settlement systems)