| Authors | UMESH KUMAR |
|---|---|
| Article Type | Research Article |
| Language | English |
| Journal | North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science & Humanities |
| ISSN | 2454-9827 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1-12 |
| Publication Year | 2026 |
| Publication Date | September 01, 2026 |
| DOI URL | https://doiglobal.org/10.2026/NAIRJCSSH.029 |
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India has adopted a foreign policy that is simultaneously baffling to both its Western partners and itself. It has refused to condemn the Russian aggression and abstained from nearly every United Nations resolution related to the war. India has dramatically increased its purchases of Russian crude oil at a discount, and it continues to depend on Russia for most of its military hardware while deepening its security cooperation with the United States. This paper examines these aspects of India’s foreign policy through the lens of its doctrine of strategic autonomy, assessing its relationship with both Russia and the West and whether it can balance the two successfully. Through a qualitative research method that reviews the voting records of the United Nations, the statements of India’s government, the country’s military and trade data, and various scholarly and policy publications regarding India and its relationships between 2022 and 2026, it becomes evident that India balances these relationships for a variety of reasons rather than any one specific reason. Furthermore, by examining the changes in India’s relationship with both the United States and Russia in 2025 and 2026, when the United States implemented tariffs on Indian goods and India reduced its purchases of Russian oil, this paper proposesthe concept regarding India’s foreign policy: bounded strategic autonomy.
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DOI: 10.2026/NAIRJCSSH.029
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North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science & Humanities
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