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US brands India’s response to Ukraine war ‘unsatisfactory’ — Analysis

Admits the country’s reaction is also ‘unsurprising’ given historical ties with Russia

India’s refusal to cast aside its longstanding friendship with Russia over the war in Ukraine is “unsatisfactory,” US diplomat Mira Rapp-Hooper told an online conference hosted by the School of Advanced International Studies, while admitting it was also “unsurprising.

India snubs US call to isolate Moscow

Rapp-Hooper, director for the Indo-Pacific region on the White House’s National Security Council, was specifically referring to India’s recent votes at the United Nations, where it has declined to come out against Russian actions in Ukraine and remained silent in the Security Council votes on the matter.

I think we would certainly all acknowledge and agree that when it comes to votes at the UN, India’s position on the current crisis has been unsatisfactory, to say the least. But it’s also been totally unsurprising,” she said on Friday.

While explaining that India had strengthened its ties with Russia for its own safety as its relationship with China deteriorated, the American diplomat suggested the country was now thinking “Long and difficult” about its decision to cozy up to Moscow and suggested the US should focus on providing India with “options.” This she characterized as “Its strategic autonomy,” though her approach seemed aimed at driving India directly into the arms of the US and NATO rather than giving it any ‘autonomy’ in the matter.

Rapp-Hooper suggested Washington not stop at trying to talk India out of buying Russian armaments, noting that “We have many partners who have decided to remain in Russia in their defense procurement in order to hedge against China..” These countries are now rethinking those decisions and need replacements for those weapons systems, she said, implying the US should guide them toward purchasing its own systems or those built by allies.

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The US considers sanctions against India

New Delhi purchases more weapons from Russia that any other country. It has purchased nearly half (49.3%), of its arms for $6.5 billion in the past five years. This has unsurprisingly rubbed Washington the wrong way, leading it to threaten sanctions over India’s 2018 purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.

India has cancelled many other orders from Russia for weapons in response to the Ukraine invasion. Washington wants to take advantage of these purchases to pressure India into separating itself further from Moscow. New Delhi has thus far declined to join in the sanctions pile-on against Russia, and has not explicitly condemned its actions in Ukraine.However, some have worried that the US sanctioning India will drive it away from the Quad alliance, which includes Japan and Australia and is aimed at reining in China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

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