Modi to Catch Up with Putin in Moscow as India Does Its Own Thing

India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is about to have a chat with Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, on a Monday. This is his first trip to Russia since the whole Ukraine situation started, and it's kind of a big deal because it shows that India wants to keep doing its own thing in international politics. They're still cool with Russia, even though the US and some of their other buddies in Europe have been giving them the side-eye about it.

India's been buying a bunch of Russian oil at a sweet discount, which has been helping Russia out a lot with all the sanctions and stuff. Last May, they were getting almost half of their oil from Russia, and they've figured out some clever ways to pay for it, like using rubles instead of dollars. This keeps their friendship strong, even when other countries are trying to keep them apart.

But here's the twist - India's been getting more and more of its weapons from places like France and the US lately, so they're not relying on Russia for everything anymore. They're mixing it up a bit, playing the field, you could say.

For Putin, having Modi over is like showing everyone that he's still got friends on the world stage, even though some Western countries are giving him the cold shoulder over Ukraine. To Russia, India is a really important player in their game of trying to change the way the world works, and not just go along with what the West wants.

And after hanging out with Putin, Modi's hopping over to Vienna for the first time in ages for an Indian Prime Minister. This shows that India isn't just chilling with one group of friends, but is out there making new connections across Europe.

So, when Modi meets up with Putin, it's not just about keeping their friendship strong; it's also about how they can work together in this crazy world where everyone's picking sides and alliances are changing all the time. They're both looking for ways to deal with all the drama going on outside their borders.