By the time these lines reach you, Russia's President Putin must have concluded his two-day visit to India. Some analysts are viewing it as one of President Putin's more expensive outings for both the visitor and the host. But more of that context later. Similarly, French President Macron's three-day China visit must have concluded by then, too. At the time of writing, they have not, so one cannot definitively comment on the outcomes.

But you will notice that in today's highly charged global situation, both visits represent risky gambits. India is already paying a high price for importing oil from a highly sanctioned Russia. While Sino-US relations seem to have improved slightly following the meeting between Presidents Xi and Trump in South Korea, hawks dominate debates within think tank circles in both Washington and Beijing. Therefore, an outreach by France and the EU can, by default, be interpreted in a million different ways. Not all of them are quite savoury.

So, how have New Delhi and France sought to manage the optics? Indian analysts have taken extra pains to dismiss the prospects of further hard military procurements from Russia. As if that wasn't enough, the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs put out the following tweet: "Great news in our defence relationship with India. India's Ministry of Defence signed a sustainment package for its 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, developed by Lockheed Martin. The 946-million-dollar package will enhance the Indian Navy's maritime capabilities, build interoperability with the US and regional partners, and make both our nations safer and more prosperous."

This is a clever move. But it is called balancing. Indian pundits further maintained that........

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