The Modi-Putin meet on Monday was yet another landmark development in the lasting Indo-Russian ties. The meet had been important in more than one way. Besides reflecting upon the bilateral relations between the two countries, the meet is also likely to have significant repercussions on the multi-polar world, especially Central Asia. Importantly, the meeting came at a time when the world in general is grappling to come out of the shadow of the pandemic. The need for cooperation is greater at this point in time than it would have been usually. Another turn of event that contextualises Indo-Russia relations is the rapidly changing geopolitical order. Over the past few years, countries have re-aligned their ties with other countries in a manner that marks a shift from conventional ties. Russia, in particular, has drifted more towards China in the recent past — with other countries like Pakistan joining the party. India, China and Russia are among the most influential countries in the South Asian region and the interrelation between the three more or less defines the geopolitical landscape of the region. The growing hostility between India and China further tangles up the equations. Confluence between any two nations is bound to exclude the third. This has been evident in the Afghanistan situation where Russia and China have shown greater complementarity. For India, in South Asia, the most durable solution could be to restrengthen its diluted ties with Russia; as relations with China and Pakistan are not showing signs of improvement anytime soon. Globally also, India somewhere appears to lag behind in balancing its priorities. While it may be prudent to foster ties with the US, it should not come at the cost of ties with the ever-dependable powerful country in the proximity. A balance could be achieved through strategic planning and communication. Historically, Russia and India have been held together ideologically. The foundation of ties set by the leaders of newly-independent India was so strong that it withstood the ravages of time through the most turbulent phases — from the cold war to the disintegration of the Soviet Union. In fact, the liberalised India went on to proclaim the "Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership" in the year 2000. Further, after the 2008 global financial crisis, this Strategic Partnership further evolved to Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership in 2010. This certainly had been a sign of dependable partnership where countries come closer in times of adversities. Even between 2010 and 2015, bilateral trade and ties continued to thrive between the two nations. The dilution between the ties of the two nations creeped in somewhere between 2015 to 2020. India needs to give a serious look into the matter to bring back things on track as soon as possible. The current meeting between the two leaders offers a timely opportunity to improve the ties, and the two nations must grab this with both hands. It is again a time of crisis and the tested friends must come together. The intensity and depth of engagement between the two nations on Monday at least give a positive signal in this direction. The meeting between the two leaders was preceded by the first ever 2+2 ministerial meeting between the defense ministers and foreign ministers of the two nations. India has thus far held 2+2 ministerial meetings with only a few countries including the US, Japan and Australia — all the quad countries. This clearly indicates the importance accorded to Russia by India. Amid the rising influence of China along the territorial and water boundaries, quad has been the mainstay of Indian security concerns. Such an effective meeting between the two countries was long overdue, given that Russia has all throughout been India's key defense partner. The recent engagement will give a further boost to the defense ties between India and Russia. Going beyond words, India has recently acted to make deals for S-400 Triumf missile systems apart from T-90 tanks, and the Talwar and the Krivak — which are among the most critical tools present in the Indian arsenal. While Russia has been a powerful nation all along, India's remarkable growth is comparatively a new phenomenon. The engagement between the two nations is no more about dependence of one over the another. It is about progressing shoulder to shoulder. The agreement on military technology cooperation for the next decade is one example to substantiate this argument. India must surely leverage the current engagements positively to rebuild its stronger ties with Russia to maintain its relevance in the changing geopolitical landscape in the South Asian region. Further, there is also a need to strengthen softer cultural ties apart from defense and trade relations.