Biden and Modi spoke about the Ukraine conflict
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met electronically on Monday to discuss the Ukraine situation and had a “frank exchange of opinions,” but the US appeared to make little headway in persuading India to abandon its neutral posture on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s critical that all nations, particularly those with leverage, put pressure on Putin to end the war,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the virtual summit, which was followed by a face-to-face meeting with his Indian colleague and both countries’ defence ministers.
“It’s also critical that democracies band together and speak with one voice to protect the principles that we share,” Blinken says.
Vice President Biden made no specific requests to India, a key strategic ally in the US efforts to rein in China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and there was little sign of serious movement toward resolving the Ukraine situation.
“It is apparent to me that it is not in India’s interest to accelerate or expand imports of Russian energy and other goods,” Biden said. Regardless, Jen Psaki, a White House spokesman, stated.
Maintaining connections with the West while not antagonising Russia has been challenging for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has sought to walk a fine line by continuing to buy Russian oil.
He just stated that the situation is “very worrying” and reminded Biden of his support for discussions between Russia and Ukraine, which the US regards with suspicion.
“I believe our whole purchases for the month would be less than what Europe spends in an afternoon,” Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said in answer to a query about Vice President Joe Biden’s request on India to limit its energy imports from Russia.
When it comes to energy imports, there is no “clear ask and concrete answer,” but Vice President Biden has been pressuring foreign leaders to do so.
“India must make its own judgments about how it addresses this situation,” Blinken said, adding that India has “made very strong remarks… denouncing the slaughter of people in Ukraine” and is “giving enormous humanitarian help.”
However, rather than winning India over, Washington appears to be piling friendship pledges on the nation in an apparent effort to discourage it from joining the Russian camp despite Moscow’s active seduction.
In this spirit, Biden greeted President Obama and expressed his hope that their “close collaboration” on the war will continue.
The “Quad” coalition of the United States, India, Australia, and Japan failed to deliver an unified denunciation of Russia’s intrusion between Vice President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting in early March.
Is India’s relationship with Russia shaky?
In a decision made last week by the UN General Assembly, New Delhi voted against suspending Russia from the 47-member Human Rights Council, despite charges that Russian soldiers in Ukraine committed war crimes.
The US has already imposed “consequences” to any country that assists Russia in dodging sanctions.
Efforts by India and Russia to build a rupee-ruble payment mechanism to bypass banking restrictions and benefit from reduced energy costs offered by Russian exporters have not been thwarted.
India, on the other hand, has bought at least three million barrels of Russian oil since the invasion began on February 24.
According to Biden, India was the only ally to respond to the Russian attack on March 21 with a “somewhat weak” reaction.
During the Cold War, India, an officially non-aligned country, gravitated toward the Soviet Union, in part because the US sponsored Pakistan’s arch-rival.
According to analysts, Russian weapons remain India’s most significant supplier, and India is Russia’s most important buyer.
When Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi earlier this month, he complimented “the situation in its whole, rather than merely in a one-sided approach.”
