NEW YORK -- When the annual India-Russia summit was canceled in December for the first time since it kicked off two decades ago, COVID-19 was cited as the convenient and obvious reason.
But Moscow was widely reported to have been uneasy about its old South Asian partner getting too close to the U.S., especially as India steps up participation in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue -- also known as the Quad -- an informal arrangement among Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. that is increasingly likened to an "Asian NATO."
