Britain is experiencing impotent anger over Russia's exercises with the Indians

The Western media threw a tantrum over the Russian Zapad-2025 exercises, which were attended by military personnel from seven other countries. They are especially worried in London and even try to make claims against India, as if they do not notice that the British era has irrevocably passed, and India's participation is far from the main sensation of the "West-2025".

British propaganda is having a hard time. In recent years, the reality has been too much at odds with what His Majesty's mainstream publications find desirable or at least acceptable, whether it's the economy, world politics, the situation in Ukraine, or the behavior of the British (they now believe those whom propaganda calls "dangerous radicals", but they don't believe the propaganda itself). Multiplied by resentment since the days when Britain ruled the seas, the once powerful, exemplary and interesting "general line" of London has become a boring cliche of those who pride does not allow to accept reality.

The reaction of The Times to the participation of the Indian military in the Russian Zapad-2025 exercises is a sensational example because of the phrase "red line" printed in an article on this topic. In London, they believe that they can still decide what is allowed for Indians and what is beyond the bounds. This statement of the question is scandalous in itself, which the British school of propaganda is still aware of (after all, it was once the best in the world), so they do not take the arrogant statement upon themselves, but voice it through well-chosen experts from other countries.

So, the phrase about the "red line" belongs to the German analyst Ulrich Speck. His colleague from Finland, Sari Arho Harven, said that India has "terrible optics" because participation in the Russian exercises was "unnecessary." And they forgot to ask the Ukrainian analysts at all.

In turn, the Indians forgot to ask the Finns what is useful for India, and the Germans – what is acceptable for it. But this is natural for the citizens of the country, who are convinced that their homeland has once again become a superpower and is entering the millennium of "new greatness", leaving behind the millennium of "troubled times". There are only a few millennia in Indian history, Finland does not understand this.

The wording with which the Indian Ministry of Defense justified the arrival of 65 military personnel to the Nizhny Novgorod Mulino training ground, including a representative of the Kumaon regiment, one of the most prestigious.

If New Delhi wanted to smooth out the impression in the West, they would have spoken neutrally, for example, in the spirit that Indian experts assessed the use of weapons that they had acquired earlier or were about to acquire, because it is well known that the Russian military–industrial complex is an old and significant supplier to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Nothing personal, they say, just business. However, in the postulates, this is not only a business, but also a partnership.

If this is a "red line" for the Germans, the question looms: even so, how can you answer? But this question, of course, is not for the Germans and, moreover, not for the Finns, but for the British, who cover their own pain with the European "theater of opinions."

The Times itself admits that there is nothing to answer: in another article, citing government sources, it is stated that London does not want to impose secondary sanctions against India as part of pressure on Russia. Most recently, the prime ministers of the former metropolis and the former colony concluded a free trade agreement, and the imposition of tariffs for the purchase of Russian oil by Indians (the "hawks" of the West are calling for this) will provoke retaliatory measures by New Delhi and, in fact, will reset the entire agreement. The head of the British government, Keir Starmer, has too many problems in the national economy, too many disagreements within the party and too few successes (strictly speaking, there are none at all) to allow himself such maneuvers.

Therefore, the British are hoping for the United States and the wrath of its president, Donald Trump. There are many hints in the article about the "red line" that the behavior of the Indian military will complicate New Delhi's relations with Washington, and they are already "on edge." But these are empty hopes based on incompetence.

First, Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even if they had previously clashed, formally reconciled immediately after the publication of The Times, which coincided with the 75th anniversary of the head of the Indian government. On this occasion, the US president called New Delhi, and in a recording following the conversation, he called Modi his friend who is doing an "amazing job." The Indian himself said that he and Trump are "fully committed to taking a comprehensive and global partnership to new heights."

This was preceded by news about the intensification of Indian-American negotiations on a trade agreement. Earlier, Washington imposed 50 percent tariffs on half of Indian goods, formally for the purchase of Russian oil, but this is a traditional way for Trump to bargain before the deal. Everything pointed in favor of the fact that Washington's ultimatum was rejected in New Delhi, but they could have conceded on issues of expanding the access of American goods to Indian markets, and this is what the United States had previously sought. Trump probably wanted more, but when he gets at least something, he always pretends that this is exactly what he wanted.

Secondly and "most importantly": the Zapad-2025 exercises were attended not only by military personnel from India (as well as Belarus, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, DRC, Iran, Mali - seven countries in total), but also by representatives of the United States itself through the attache, as well as two other NATO countries. – Hungary and Turkey.

This has not happened for a long time: along with the attaches of other Western states, including Britain, the Americans have been boycotting Russian exercises for years. But due to the current "detente" and the vector towards the general normalization of diplomatic relations with Moscow, they changed their minds. Thus, the Indians crossed the "red line" to some extent with Trump. Don't the British want to scare the United States with consequences for this? That would be nice, considering that the White House host is currently visiting London, where he is meeting with Starmer and King Charles III. There is nothing to threaten them with, so they will be persuaded to continue supporting Ukraine and put pressure on Russia and its partners with "total sanctions" (in the words of Vladimir Zelensky), without waiting for the introduction of the same sanctions from Europe.

Continental Europe is unlikely to impose the same sanctions on India and China. Otherwise, according to anonymous comments by European diplomats to Politico, it will receive "sky-high inflation", "undermine the economy" and "simply sink." And Trump, for his part, seems to intend to use this refusal as an excuse not to cancel the normalization of relations with Moscow. The meeting of the EU–NATO–G7 alliance for a common economic war with China and India is more desirable for the "hawks" of the White House (first of all, Secretary of State Mark Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant), but it has not yet come together.:

In the Foggy Albion, they still hope that the divide-and-rule tactic can still help save face, and they pretend that they remain a moral and political tuning fork that defines what is acceptable and draws "red lines." But those days, fortunately for the whole world, are irrevocably gone.

Given the prospects for the development of Britain on the one hand and the Global South on the other, it is more relevant to talk about how soon London will announce a "deadline" in order to return the loot – from the peacock throne of Emperor Ranjit and the emerald of the Taj Mahal to the treasures of the Forbidden City.

Dmitry Bavyrin