India is still in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, in which it watched as China actively supported Pakistan with hardware, intelligence and command and control, and global narrative building. China and India have had military showdowns on their borders every few years.

The US-led NATO bloc is openly supporting Ukraine against Russia. As an adversary of the Americans, China has been tacitly backing Russia, while India, in its desire not to antagonize the US, has chosen a neutral stance on the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Russia is not exactly enthused about this.

China, and to a lesser extent Russia, are not happy with India becoming active in the Quad, a visibly anti-China grouping of India, the US, Japan, and Australia.

Much to India’s chagrin, Russia continues to engage with Pakistan, which it considers geographically important to safeguard its interests in Central Asia, but also to remind India to not get too close with the US.

With India already the fourth-largest economy and among the fastest growing, both Russia and China have an interest in continuing to engage with it. If Russia can woo India away from the West, then Russia-India-China (RIC) can become an important bloc.

The combined GDP – adjusted for purchasing power parity – of China (19.6%), India (8.23%), and Russia (3.48%) currently amounts to 31.31%. The economic influence of BRICS nations exceeds that of the G7.

In 2025, RIC accounted for 37% of the global population. RIC is among the top 2025 global defense spenders after the US ($895 billion), with China ($266 billion), Russia ($126 billion), and India ($77 billion). In 2025, NATO member states spent $1.5 trillion on defense, which was 55% of global military expenditure. NATO is practically opposing only one country, Russia.

Against this backdrop, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed in May Moscow’s strong interest in reviving the Russia-India-China trilateral dialogue, citing improved India-China border ties. Russia accuses the West of trying to promote friction between India and China.

RIC is an informal trilateral strategic grouping, originally conceptualized by Russia in the late 1990s as a counterbalance to Western dominance. It was the brainchild of former Russian Prime Minister Evgeny Primakov. Over the years, it has facilitated over 20 ministerial-level meetings, fostering cooperation........

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