Dr Dmitry Trenin, the newly elected president of the Kremlin-backed Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), has emphasised the importance of maintaining a positive balance in Russia’s relations with its two Asian strategic partners, India and China.

Speaking in his first press interview after assuming leadership of the think tank on 1 April, Trenin underscored the need to prevent external powers, particularly the United States, from exploiting India against China and, indirectly, against Russia.

He stressed that China, as Russia’s largest neighbour, deserves systematic attention, while India also requires deeper engagement beyond what he described as a positive but still superficial impression.

Trenin, aged 70, is a retired Soviet-Russian Army Colonel with extensive experience in global affairs. His career included involvement in US-Russian nuclear and space weapons negotiations and postings both within and outside the Soviet Union.

Notably, he became the first non-NATO senior research fellow at the NATO Defence College in Rome. He later joined the Carnegie Moscow Centre in 1994, eventually becoming its director, but was dismissed in 2022 for supporting the Kremlin’s Ukraine campaign.

In outlining his vision for RIAC, Trenin declared that Russia is an autocratic nation that does not obey external powers and will not allow the world to collapse. He pledged to inject new impetus into the council and to rise to the challenges of today’s turbulent and dramatic times, as well as those that lie ahead.

He argued that despite the apparent chaos and illogicality of current events, history shows that similar upheavals have occurred before. He compared the present situation to a world war, though he rejected the term ‘World War III’ as misleading, preferring instead to describe it as ‘a new world war’ distinct from the first two.

Trenin’s remarks reflect his broader strategic outlook, shaped by decades of involvement in defence and international affairs. His appointment to RIAC, which was established 15 years ago by a decree of then-President Dmitry Medvedev, signals a renewed effort to position the council as a leading forum for Russian foreign policy analysis.

RIAC serves as Russia’s counterpart to the Indian Council of World Affairs, highlighting the importance of intellectual and policy exchanges in shaping Moscow’s external relations.

By stressing the need for balance between India and China, Trenin has placed emphasis on managing Russia’s ties with both nations in a way that avoids confrontation and external manipulation. His comments suggest that Russia sees value in cultivating deeper ties with India while continuing to prioritise its strategic partnership with China.

At the same time, his framing of the current global turbulence as akin to a world war underscores the seriousness with which he views the international environment and the challenges facing Russia’s foreign policy establishment.

PTI