Triumf over karma
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Bhagavad Gita
15 min read
The article opens with Putin being gifted this sacred Hindu text, making it a symbolic diplomatic gesture. Understanding this 700-verse scripture's philosophical teachings on duty, righteousness, and moral dilemmas provides crucial context for why India chose this specific gift and what message it conveys about the India-Russia relationship.
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S-400 missile system
13 min read
The 'Triumf' S-400 is central to the India-Russia arms deal discussed. Understanding this advanced Russian anti-aircraft weapon system, its capabilities, and why it has been controversial (causing US sanctions concerns for countries that purchase it) illuminates the strategic significance of India's decision to acquire more units.
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Quadrilateral Security Dialogue
15 min read
The article references 'the Quad' as a US-led diplomatic initiative that was meant to draw India closer to Washington. Understanding this strategic security dialogue between US, Japan, Australia, and India provides essential context for how India is now pivoting back toward Russia despite Western courtship efforts.
Hello,
Here are the five things you need to know today:
INDIA. RUSSIA. Old friends reembrace the new order.
UNITED STATES. UKRAINE. Trump shifts the narrative as policy stumbles.
DR CONGO. RWANDA. The conflict in Kivu continues unabated.
TUNISIA. The president puts the chill on the opposition.
GERMANY. The chancellor faces an existential crisis.
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INDIA. RUSSIA. Gita together
Old friends reembrace the new order.
Vladimir Putin met Narendra Modi Friday after being welcomed on his first visit since 2021 with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. Russia was expected to agree to provide more S-400 ‘Triumf’ missile defence systems, plus new Su-57 fighter jets.
INTELLIGENCE. After reducing its reliance on Russian arms since the war in Ukraine, India is now doubling down on its former chief supplier. Reports in Bloomberg of a $2 billion nuclear-powered submarine contract have been refuted (Delhi says this is part of a previously announced program), but it is still noteworthy as a comparison to Washington’s more expensive, and protracted, SSN initiatives with Canberra and Seoul, which some had hoped could include Delhi.
FOR BUSINESS. Under Joe Biden and, indeed, Trump 1.0, India was seen as the next major US ally. Combining diplomatic initiatives like the Quad with security pacts like AUKUS was seen as a logical next step. But Trump 2.0’s trashing of the relationship has sent Modi back to Putin, including on oil. Goldman Sachs this week said the decline in exports from Lukoil and Rosneft had been almost entirely made up by exports from non-sanctioned companies.
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UNITED STATES. UKRAINE. Peace for prime time
Trump shifts the narrative as policy stumbles.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, in Miami Thursday. Donald Trump said he wasn’t sure of next steps. Marco Rubio thanked the president for putting “a certain name” on the US Institute of Peace.
INTELLIGENCE. As Witkoff and Kushner negotiate Kyiv’s future in Florida hotels,
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