For the first time since 2020, Russia has openly called for reviving the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral format. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at a security conference in Eurasia in the city of Perm on May 29, said the “time has come” to restart RIC meetings, adding that, in his view, India and China have reached an understanding on easing border tensions.
“I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika — Russia, India, China — which was established many years ago on the initiative of (ex-Russian prime minister) Yevgeny Primakov, and which has organised meetings more than 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at the level of foreign policy chiefs, but also the heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of the three countries,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by TASS.The RIC platform, originally launched in the late 1990s, has remained dormant since the deadly Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in June 2020. While Russia had hinted at trilateral engagement during the BRICS Summit in Kazan in 2024, Lavrov’s latest pitch marks the most explicit call to formally revive the RIC mechanism since Galwan. Lavrov’s renewed pitch signals much more than just a procedural revival — it reflects Moscow’s shifting diplomatic calculus amid changing global alignments.
So, why now? What is driving Russia’s push? And where does India fit into this strategic triangle? Here’s a detailed look.
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What is the RIC format?
The RIC grouping was first proposed by former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov as part of Moscow’s vision for a multipolar world order. Over the years, it has convened more than 20 times at various levels, bringing together foreign ministers, trade officials, economic agencies, and security experts from the three Asian powers to foster dialogue on a range of issues. However, after the Galwan clash led to a sharp deterioration in India-China relations, the platform effectively went dormant.
Why is Russia pushing now?
A tentative thaw between India and China
The primary obstacle to RIC’s functioning has always been India-China tensions. However, the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS Summit in Kazan (October 2024) marked a significant shift. The two leaders reached an understanding aimed at easing the border standoff along the Line of Actual Control, which had remained a major flashpoint since the 2020 Galwan clash. The widely circulated handshake between Modi and Xi was also seen as a public signal of improving ties.
Russia sees this tentative easing of tensions as an opening to revive RIC, hoping that both Delhi and Beijing may now be more receptive to moderated dialogue under Moscow’s watch.
Russia’s growing anxiety over India’s western alignmentSince Galwan, India has steadily deepened its ties with the United States, Japan, Australia — particularly through the Quad — as well as newer groupings like I2U2 and multiple Western defence partnerships. This growing alignment with Western powers, especially in defence, technology, and supply chain domains, has deepened Moscow’s anxieties about India drifting further into the Western camp.
For Russia, reviving RIC offers a way to keep India engaged within a non-Western multilateral space, while allowing Moscow to retain its role as a balancing player between its two key Asian partners.
The NATO factor: A direct warning
Lavrov directly accused NATO of attempting to “lure India into anti-China intrigues”, describing it as a “large provocation” that India is fully aware of. This is one of Russia’s clearest acknowledgements of how it views NATO’s expanding interest in the Indo-Pacific region and India’s growing engagement with Western security groupings. Through RIC, Moscow is signalling its desire to keep India engaged in Eurasian multilateralism and prevent it from being drawn too deeply into the US-China competition.
Russia’s post-Ukraine diplomatic rebalancing
The Ukraine war and sweeping Western sanctions have pushed Russia to deepen its engagement across Asia. However, as Moscow’s economic and diplomatic dependence on China has grown, so too have its long-term strategic concerns about being overly reliant on Beijing. By seeking to revive RIC, Russia is attempting to balance its Asian partnerships, maintain diplomatic space with India, and continue projecting itself as an independent power centre within the evolving Eurasian order.
Preserving relevance in Asian geopolitics
With India’s growing global profile and China’s rise, Russia risks being increasingly sidelined in Asia’s strategic balance. The revival of RIC allows Moscow to project continued relevance as a power capable of influencing dialogue between Asia’s two major players. It also aligns with Russia’s broader vision of strengthening non-Western institutions that can serve as alternatives to Western-led alliances.
What’s at stake for India?
For India, this renewed Russian pitch presents both opportunities and challenges. While New Delhi maintains strong historical ties with Moscow, deep distrust persists with China due to unresolved border disputes. India’s foreign policy rests on its ability to maintain strategic autonomy, avoiding being locked into any single camp, whether Western or non-Western. If RIC discussions are revived, India could engage while continuing to maintain its partnerships with the United States, Quad members, and other emerging alliances.
The bottom line
Lavrov’s call to revive RIC is about more than simply restarting old meetings. It reflects Russia’s broader effort to navigate shifting global alignments, counterbalance growing Western influence in Asia, and reassert its diplomatic weight as a Eurasian power broker. For India, the revival of RIC is another test of its ability to walk the tightrope between multiple global partnerships, unresolved regional tensions, and its long-standing pursuit of strategic autonomy.
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