A powerful image from the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin captured Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin standing together, signaling a growing alignment among BRICS and Global South nations in response to U.S. pressure. This visual serves as a critical reminder for Washington: pushing India away risks undermining America’s Indo-Pacific strategy and global leadership.

Recent U.S. attempts to penalize India for purchasing discounted Russian oil through steep tariffs are counterproductive. Such measures fail to alter India’s energy needs or hasten an end to the Ukraine conflict, instead jeopardizing a key strategic partnership. India’s reliance on Russian oil stems from economic necessity—discounted crude accounts for over a third of its imports, saving billions and keeping fuel affordable for its 1.4 billion citizens. Cutting off this supply abruptly could impose an $11 billion shock, an untenable burden.

India has already been diversifying its ties in line with U.S. interests, reducing dependence on Russian arms, cutting imports from Iran and Venezuela, and increasing purchases of American crude. Punitive tariffs only fuel perceptions of the U.S. as an unreliable partner, handing Moscow and Beijing a propaganda advantage. India’s foreign policy emphasizes “strategic autonomy,” and when pressured, it instinctively seeks broader options, a tendency China has exploited through customs slowdowns and border tensions.

The emerging Russia-India-China trilateral forums act less as ideological partnerships and more as insurance policies against coercion. A tighter BRICS alignment could offer Russia diplomatic lifelines, help China counter Western sanctions, and provide India platforms to resist U.S. pressure, eroding Washington’s leverage in Asia and the Global South.

Instead of coercion, the U.S. should pursue a partnership-focused approach: crafting long-term energy pacts, integrating India into technology ecosystems, expanding trade agreements, and offering diplomatic reassurance. These steps would align India’s interests with America’s, strengthening global leadership and stability. Choosing punishment risks driving India toward Beijing and Moscow, complicating efforts in Ukraine and destabilizing the Indo-Pacific. Partnership, however, promises a future where democracy and prosperity thrive together.