India joins Russia-Belarus military drills amid US trade tensions

Indian troops have joined the Russia-Belarus Zapad-2025 military drills, Russian state agency TASS reported, in a display that underscores Moscow’s enduring ties with New Delhi amid rising tensions between India and the United States.

The Indian Ministry of Defence confirmed it sent 65 armed forces personnel to the five-day exercise, which concluded September 16.

The manoeuvres, involving about 100,000 troops, featured nuclear-capable bombers, warships and large-scale combat scenarios to test readiness.

"Today we are conducting the final part of the Zapad 2025 strategic exercise," Russian President Vladimir Putin said, addressing troops in uniform.

India’s participation was led by a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment, with officials saying it was aimed at strengthening "the spirit of cooperation and mutual trust" with Russia.

TASS reported that contingents from Iran, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mali also took part.

Tensions with US, NATO

The drills come at a time of heightened confrontation with NATO, just days after the downing of Russian drones in Poland.

They also follow months of strain in US-India relations, with Washington imposing 50 percent tariffs on Indian imports last month, accusing New Delhi of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine through its purchases of discounted Russian oil.

Trump posted on social media earlier this month that both India and Russia appeared to be "lost" to "deepest, darkest China" after the three countries held talks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.

Still, both sides have since sought to calm tensions. Last week Trump said negotiations were ongoing to resolve trade disputes.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded that "India and the US are close friends and natural partners" and expressed confidence that talks would "unlock the limitless potential" of bilateral ties.

This is not the first time India has joined Russian-led exercises. In 2021, shortly before Russia’s full-scale war with Ukraine, Indian troops took part in drills in the Volgograd region.

India has historically sourced most of its defence supplies from Russia, though in recent decades it has sought to diversify imports.

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Source: TRT