Critically evaluate India-Russia relations in the 21st century. How have both the countries responded to America meddling in their relations in the recent times.

The Declaration on Strategic Partnership of 2000, upgraded to a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership in 2010, frames a relationship that is now unevenly strong.

What still holds.

• Defence. Russia remains the largest source of India's legacy inventory — the S-400 system, the leased nuclear submarine, licensed T-90 and Su-30MKI production, and the BrahMos joint venture, the deepest co-development India has with any partner.
• Energy. After 2022, discounted Russian crude went from a negligible share of Indian imports to the largest single source, transforming a marginal trade relationship into a substantial one.
• Nuclear power. Kudankulam remains the flagship civil nuclear project.
• Diplomatic reliability. Russia's consistent position on Kashmir at the Security Council, and India's abstentions on Ukraine resolutions, reflect a long habit of not embarrassing each other.

What has hollowed out.

• Trade beyond energy is thin, and the surplus is overwhelmingly in Russia's favour, creating a payments problem that rupee-rouble arrangements have not solved.
• Defence diversification. Russia's share of Indian arms imports has fallen substantially as India turns to France, Israel, the United States and domestic production, and the war has raised doubts about Russian delivery schedules and technology.
• The China factor is the structural problem. Russia's deepening dependence on Beijing after 2022 reduces its ability to be an independent balancer for India, which was the original strategic value of the relationship.

How both have responded to American pressure. India has refused to accept that its purchases are anyone else's business, absorbed the threat of sanctions over the S-400 without altering course, kept buying Russian crude while pointing out that Europe continued its own energy trade, and framed the position as strategic autonomy rather than as support for Moscow. Russia has publicly defended India's right to trade freely, while quietly accepting that India will diversify. Both have shifted to national currencies to reduce exposure to dollar-clearing.

Assessment. The partnership has moved from strategic to transactional. It retains real value in defence spares, energy and diplomatic habit, but it no longer performs the balancing function that justified it.