WASHINGTON: The Modi–Putin engagement in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday is prompting heightened scrutiny in Washington, where foreign-policy experts are parsing both the optics and the outcomes of the high-profile summit.
Several leading analysts told IANS on Wednesday that the broader US national-security community will be particularly attentive to the tone of the visit, the substance of any agreements, and the political reaction from the White House.
Lisa Curtis, who served in the first Trump Administration and is now Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Centre for New American Security, said bluntly that "the United States will not find this meeting helpful, " given that it is occurring at a time when "President Putin is escalating his war against Ukraine and even threatening Europe with drone incursions and cyber-attacks."
Curtis noted that the meeting nevertheless sends a diplomatic signal to Washington. India "will not be bullied, " she said, pointing to recent US pressure tactics, including "implementing 50 per cent tariffs on India" and outreach to Pakistan's military leadership.