Amid a renewed push by Russia and China to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral grouping, sources indicate that India has not agreed to any meeting in this format at present, nor are there ongoing discussions about its scheduling.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India remains non-committal, stating that the mechanism exists for the three countries to discuss global and regional issues and that a mutually convenient date for a meeting would be publicised when agreed upon.

Russia has been actively advocating for the resumption of the RIC, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko highlighting the historical significance of the format and expressing expectations for its work to resume soon, especially as ties between India and China have shown tentative signs of improvement after the military standoff in eastern Ladakh in 2020. 

Lavrov describes India as Russia’s “particularly privileged strategic partner,” while emphasising that Russia-China relations bring stability to Eurasia.

China firmly supports Russia’s initiative, saying trilateral cooperation benefits the interests of the three countries and contributes to regional and global stability.

However, experts such as former Indian foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal have noted that any genuine revival of the RIC would require major revisions in Chinese policy towards India, particularly regarding issues in India's neighbourhood and Beijing’s support for Pakistan, which has historically strained India-China relations.

The RIC format has been dormant since the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes along the India-China border, which led to a sharp decline in trust and engagement between India and China. Although there has been some progress in disengagement and dialogue, normalisation of bilateral ties remains tied to peace along the border.

Strategically, India faces multiple challenges and opportunities:

The RIC grouping was originally conceptualised as a counterbalance to Western dominance and as a vehicle for a multipolar world order, but its relevance diminished due to the rising friction between India and China, and because India is now an active member of other prominent alliances such as the Quad (with the US, Japan, and Australia), perceived by China as an attempt to contain its ascent.

India values strategic autonomy and needs to balance its options carefully in both Western and non-Western groupings to avoid aligning too closely with any one bloc.

At present, despite strong lobbying from Moscow and public support from Beijing, New Delhi has not agreed to revive the RIC format, and no official meeting is scheduled. The future of the RIC largely depends on the evolution of India-China relations, especially regarding border stability, and on whether China is willing to address India’s security and regional concerns in a substantive manner.

Based On A PTI Report