Few ideas cause greater anxiety in the Indian strategic community than a “G2”. It invokes fears of a US-China partnership that might produce geopolitical duopoly over Asia. But Delhi should also reflect on another G2 — a strategic accommodation between America and Russia. India has fewer reasons to fear it, although it would bring complications of its own.

US President Donald Trump’s decision last week to ease sanctions on Russian diesel puts that possibility, distant though it might be, back in focus. After a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump announced Russian supplies for American and global markets. Washington authorised diesel imports until April 2027. With diesel above $6 per gallon and the question of inflation hovering over congressional elections on November 3, cheaper fuel for farmers and truckers is an urgent political priority for Trump.

The irony is plain. Just weeks ago, Trump signed legislation giving him sweeping powers to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries like India buying Russian oil. Hypocritical? Of course. But hypocrisy is part of international life. For all the grandstanding on global issues by major powers, we know that all politics is local.

For Delhi, better US-Russia relations could reduce the friction that its Russian partnership creates with Washington. Many would hope that, having carved out an exemption on diesel for himself, Trump would hesitate to impose fresh oil sanctions on India. More interesting, though, is the........

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