New Delhi, Dec. 4 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin begins a two-day visit to India on 4 December for the annual India-Russia Summit-his first trip to New Delhi since the start of the Ukraine war. The visit comes at a particularly sensitive moment for India's foreign policy and energy security.

India has been under sustained pressure from the US to scale back its purchases of Russian crude. US President Donald Trump has imposed an additional 25% tariff as a penalty for buying oil from Moscow, taking India's total tariff burden to 50%. At the same time, New Delhi still lacks clarity on the long-discussed India-US trade agreement that could soften the blow of these duties.

Energy has become the main driver of the India-Russia partnershi...