BIDEN SAYS INDIA’S RESPONSE TO WAR ‘SHAKY’

Tue 22 March 2022:

The US president has described India as an exception among Washington’s allies with its “shaky” response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Addressing a meeting of US business leaders in Washington, Biden said there had been “a united front throughout NATO and in the Pacific”.

While the other Quad countries – the United States, Japan and Australia – have sanctioned Russian entities or people, India has not imposed sanctions or even condemned Russia, its biggest supplier of military hardware.

“In response to his aggression, we have presented a united front throughout the NATO and in the Pacific,” Biden told a business forum on Monday, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Quad – with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of these – but Japan has been extremely strong, so is Australia in terms of dealing with Putin’s aggression.”

Putin says Russia is carrying out “a special military operation” to stop the Ukrainian government from committing “genocide” – an accusation the West calls a baseless fabrication.

After a virtual summit between Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Monday, India’s foreign ministry said Australia understood India’s position on Ukraine, which “reflected our own situation, our own considerations”.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also told Modi in New Delhi on Saturday that Russia’s invasion had shaken the “foundation of international order” and required a clear response.

India has called for an end to the violence in Ukraine but has refused to vote against Russia, its old Cold War partner.

Despite growing ties with the United States in recent years, India still relies on Russia for a steady supply of guns and ammunition, owing to a Himalayan border dispute with China and ongoing tensions with Pakistan.

With two Indian state businesses just ordering five million barrels of Russian oil at a discount, India is considering buying more Russian oil at a discount.

European countries are buying gas from Russia, according to Indian analysts and government officials.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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