India has signaled its willingness to revive the long-dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral dialogue, following renewed interest from Moscow. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that any decision to resume the format would be taken in a "mutually convenient manner".

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the RIC as a "consultative format" that brings the three nations together to discuss regional and global issues of shared concern. He added that scheduling would depend on coordination among the three countries, without specifying a timeline.

The Indian response follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent call for the resumption of the RIC format. Speaking at a conference last month, Lavrov expressed "genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika -- Russia, India, China". He noted that the framework was established many years ago on the initiative of Yevgeny Primakov, a former Russian Prime Minister.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said that Russia is holding "active negotiations" with both New Delhi and Beijing to resume the trilateral format. He stated that Russia is interested in making this format work because the three countries are important partners and founding members of BRICS. Rudenko also mentioned that the absence of the RIC mechanism seems inappropriate under current global conditions.

China has also voiced its support for the revival of the RIC troika. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that "China-Russia-India cooperation not only serves the respective interests of the three countries but also helps uphold peace, security, stability and progress in the region and the world". He added that China is ready to maintain communication with India and Russia on advancing trilateral cooperation.

The RIC framework has been largely inactive in recent years. Initially, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a disruption, and later, the 2020 India-China military standoff in Eastern Ladakh further strained the relationship. The last meeting of the RIC foreign ministers was held online in November 2021.

The RIC dialogue commenced in the early 2000s with the aim of transitioning from a unipolar to a multipolar world order. It was not conceived as an anti-U.S. construct, as all three countries considered their relationship with the United States essential to their global ambitions. The RIC shared perspectives on the global order, emphasizing sovereignty, territorial integrity, and opposition to regime change from abroad. The platform also aimed to enhance economic cooperation and democratize the global financial architecture.

Despite the inactivity in recent years, the RIC grouping retains significance. All three countries are members of BRICS, G20, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The RIC countries occupy a significant portion of the global landmass and contribute a substantial share to the global GDP. The revival of the RIC dialogue could provide a platform for addressing regional and global issues, promoting multilateralism, and fostering cooperation among the three major Eurasian powers.