Geopolitics often plays out in shadows, but sometimes leaders themselves reveal where real trust lies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief post on X thanking Vladimir Putin for “sharing insights” from his Alaska meeting with Donald Trump was one such moment. This was no casual courtesy call. It was a message: Putin trusts Modi with sensitive disclosures more than the man who sat across the table from him. That Putin chose to brief Modi before Zelensky’s White House visit was calculated. Moscow wanted Washington to know that its real interlocutors are not in the West but in Asia and the Global South. If there was embarrassment in Alaska for Trump, Putin ensured the world saw it. Trump had entered the meeting with tough talk, threatening “serious consequences” unless Moscow bent on Ukraine. But the script collapsed. Instead of concessions, Trump announced only a 20% rise in US–Russia trade—undercutting years of sanctions policy. At the joint press conference, Putin spoke for eight of the eleven minutes, leaving Trump with little to show for his bluster. Asked about a ceasefire, Trump meekly passed the buck to Ukraine and NATO. That was no deal—it was retreat. The farce deepened when the White House admitted that Europe still imports Russian energy, only “re-routed” through third countries. The West’s sanctions regime stands exposed as little more than theatre. Putin, meanwhile, used the Vladivostok forum to identify potential mediators: China, Brazil, and India—the BRICS core. His naming of New Delhi, followed by the call to Modi, underlined a new reality: Russia’s diplomacy will not be shaped in Brussels or Washington but in Beijing, Brasília, and Delhi.
For India, this is vindication of its careful balancing act. Since 2022, New Delhi has refused to join Western sanctions, bought Russian oil, and yet consistently called for peace. Modi’s remark to Putin, “This is not an era of war”, still echoes in global capitals. For Moscow, India is not just an energy buyer but a trusted political interlocutor. That is why Putin confided in Modi rather than trumpet his Alaska takeaways himself. The timing is telling. Wang Yi is in Delhi for border talks, Putin himself is expected later this month, and Modi heads to Beijing for the SCO summit. The centre of global diplomacy is shifting toward Eurasia even as Washington scrambles to keep influence. For Trump, the optics could not be worse. Hours before Zelensky pleads in Washington for continued aid, Putin has already set the narrative by sharing “insights” with Modi. The signal is clear: Russia will talk peace, but only on its own terms—and only with interlocutors it trusts outside the Western bloc. Trump has long dreamed of a Nobel Peace Prize. Alaska makes that dream more remote. If talks emerge under the watch of India, China, or Brazil, it is BRICS that will claim credit, not an American president who retreated from his own threats. Far from peacemaker, Trump risks being remembered as the leader who oversaw the erosion of Western leverage. Amid Trump’s humiliation lies India’s quiet ascent. That Putin reached out to Modi—not Trump—speaks volumes. India’s refusal to take sides has paradoxically given it greater clout than nations locked into one camp. This episode is not just about Trump’s red face. It signals a deeper realignment. The West clings to sanctions and “rules-based orders,” but real conversations are happening elsewhere. And India, as Modi’s X post showed, is no longer a passive observer. It is at the heart of them.
