India will not abandon Russia, Memory of 1971 is still very fresh
India will never abandon Russia at United Nations or anywhere else. All those saying that India is trying to avoid condemning Russia over the Ukraine crisis as it needs Russian weapons in its standoff with China are missing the cardinal point. Also New Delhi is very much confident that the U.S. cannot apply any pressure on India because it will just fall flat.
India very clearly remembers 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, when USS ENTERPRISE a nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier armed with nuclear weapons had led a Task Force ex 7th Fleet of US Navy into Bay of Bengal to coerce India. Similarly UK had send a task force into the Arabian Sea. It was Russia which had stood like a rock between the rouge Nixon with his British Ally and India.
Since then Moscow has been one of India’s most trusted friend and of Course the biggest weapons suppliers since the Cold War, with more than half of India’s fighter jets and tanks coming from the country. Russia has always backed India’s policies in Jammu & Kashmir, and considers it as an integral part of the Indian Union.
The above factors will ensure that India will not join the West in censuring Russia in general and President Putin in particular. In fact President Putin has dared to expose the U.S., Europe and few other nations as to why they have been trying to get Ukraine to join NATO.
India has rightly joined China and the United Arab Emirates in abstaining from voting on a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the invasion, which was ultimately vetoed by Russia.
India though now a power in its own still needs Moscow’s diplomatic support and also weaponry ( at least for the time being ) to deal with neighbouring China, particularly after the two nations clashed along their Himalayan border.
Washington must be seething with anger on India’s stand but it has no choice but to look the other way on this issue as it cannot dictate to India any more. For USA to take on China in the Asia-Pacific region, it needs support of India. India is part of the Quad cooperation group with the U.S., Japan and Australia that has sought to counter China’s influence.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday that New Delhi’s position on Russia was based on “certain very careful considerations” when it came to UN resolutions. “We will consider all of them in their entirety and take decisions in our best interests,” he said.
Nilanthi Samaranayake, Director of the Strategy and Policy Analysis Program at CNA, a research organization in the Washington area said “India has a history of pursuing its own path in international affairs, despite external pressure.”
Putin visited India in December to shore up ties after Our government bought $5 billion in weapons, including Russia’s S-400 advanced missile-defence system. While the U.S. banned NATO ally Turkey from its advanced F-35 fighter jet program over a similar purchase, so far Washington has avoided any confrontation with India over this issue. It is good for their health.
Indian policy makers have mostly focused their response to Russia’s invasion on evacuating at least 4,000 Indian students stranded in Ukraine, an issue with domestic political ramifications as voting takes place in five state elections.
“The entire government machinery is working round the clock to ensure that all Indian nationals there are safe and secure,” Modi’s office said in a statement on Monday.
India also needs the help of Russia and Ukraine to bring the students home safely, according to Shringla from the External Affairs Ministry.
“Just trying to get our people in the heat of battle, while it rages, may not be the best option,” he told reporters. “We have to make sure that both the sides are sort of in a position where they can offer us a safe passage. We are working to secure that option.”
