Russia has urged the restoration of the Russia-India-China troika after India and China reached an understanding of the military standoff in Ladakh. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has urged the restoration of the Russia-India-China (RIC) troika. With India and China coming to an understanding on the situation at the border, the RIC troika needs to be restored, Lavrov said.
“Now that, as far as I can understand, there has been an agreement between India and China on how to de-escalate the situation on the border, I think the moment has come to revive this RIC troika,” stated Lavrov.
The RIC is an unofficial trilateral association for collaboration between Russia, India, and China. Although the group was conceived as a vehicle to resist the unipolar world order dominated by the United States, the group has yet to achieve much by Quad due to India-China tensions.
The picture is further complicated by continuously increasing engagements between Russia, India’s long-standing ally, and China, India’s primary strategic rival. In comments relayed by Russian state media, Lavrov stated that India must be cautious of “provocations” from other Quad members.
Lavrov stated that Quad members engage in military activities against China in the guise of economic and trade cooperation. He continued to remark that the RIC troika must be resumed now that India and China have an understanding.
I am confident our Indian friends witness these provocations [of Quad members] and we are talking about anti-China activities in the eastern regions of Asia. We would like to renew our interest in the resumption of trilateral realized many years ago…When India and China have agreed upon how the border situation can be settled, I believe it can be resumed in this form, the RIC form,” said Lavrov.
India and China agreed in October 2024 to disengage at two of the sites of friction in eastern Ladakh and resume coordinated patrolling at three points in Ladakh and along Arunachal Pradesh’s border areas. But contrary to what Lavrov states, the Ladakh standoff has not been fully resolved yet and the standoff at various sites of friction is still pending resolution.
