As Much as Biden tries, India will not buy obsolete F16, And Nuland better watch out
Nowadays when even Biden himself visiting India will not generate any “ electricity “ in New Delhi, Washington seems to be highly excited regarding the visit of a mere Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to the Indian Capital. This under secretary is not likely to get even an audience with the External Affairs Minister, forget the PM.
In fact ahead of her India visit for “foreign office consultations” Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, has again put her foot in her mouth by non application of her intelligence and telling the American legislatures that the “US needs to help India “ find alternatives to Russian military equipment and that is part of the “job we have to do.”
“I think they (India) find themselves after 60 years of entanglement having to find alternatives, and that’s part of the job we have to do, is help them with alternatives,” Nuland told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing on Russia. She was responding to a question from Senator Jeff Merkley when she told lawmakers that she is travelling to India.
Nulund and her lawmakers should know that India needs no “ help “ from USA or any other country in deciding as to from where it should by what….oil, arms or paint. India now buys what it wants from wherever it wants.
Also Indians don’t tolerate the merchants trying to dictate things and attaching strings to their merchandise. India is moving towards ATMANIRBHARTA at a rapid pace but meanwhile will keep buying the essentials from the best available source…it can be Russia, France, Israel, Italy or even USA.
In case Nuland who is travelling to India as part of a four-nation trip including Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar from January 28 to February 3, is having any other ideas, then We Indians will sincerely need to tell her to just skip India.
“I’m glad to hear that you’re going to India. I would think that after the performance of Russian weapons on the battlefield has been demonstrated, they might be somewhat less interested,” Merkley said.
On top of it Nuland confirmed that she is a bit dim-witted by responding “On my last trip to India, that was one of the first things we said, look at how these weapons perform on the battlefield.”
Well Merkley too seems to be devoid of much knowledge. He should be surely knowing about the shooting down of his venerable F16 by a Russian designed but Indian made MiG21 Bison just a few years back.
He should be asking the Pentagon, if the Indian made but again Russian designed Sukhois 30 MKIs had any role in the BVRAAM missile fired by the F16s of PAF going dud ? Going back further he should study the performance of the American made F86 Sabre Jets, Patton Tanks and other gears which Pak tried to use against the Indian Army. Mr Merkley we too know what’s happening in Ukraine, so please don’t try to insult our intelligence.
US lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, have demonstrated their tantrums against India for abstaining from a UN vote to rebuke Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. India does this kind of thing by not merely CHOSING Sides but by deciding a well thought of foreign policy response which will be in the best interest of India.
US officials have also expressed concern over India’s purchase of the S-400 missile systems by Russia.
Why do Americans have to elect such flea brained people to the Congress. It time India teaches the USA as to how democracy functions, after all we had it starting around 3000 years back.
Imagine a USA Congress man making statements like what Merkley said both India and South Africa, along with the ASEAN nations, with whom the US is having difficulty in getting to take a strong stand against Russia. “I think it particularly bothers me with democracy in South Africa as democracies,” he said.
Though the response by a deputy minister of Govt of USA is more devoid of any sense…..”With regard to South Africa and India, as you know, these countries have long-standing historic intertwining with Russia,” Nuland answered. “We have been making the case regularly with them that these dependencies that they’ve created make them more vulnerable and we will continue to do that. In the case of the oil price cap, as you know, which India was quite sceptical of, they’re now major beneficiaries because the oil that they’re buying from Russia is so much cheaper,” she said.
“We are now working with them on ways to diversify away from Russian weapons. I’ll be in India next week talking about that among other things. The South African situation is complex and is also tied to some of the politics inside South Africa,” Nuland said.
Oh Nuland please spare us the agony of listening to you. Talk only if you are ready to sell a few more Appache helicopters, P8Is LRMR aircrafts and few more C17 transporters to us. Then also just talk about their price and things “merchant “ only, otherwise we will ask you to return unceremoniously.
In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems to ramp up its air defence, despite a warning from the then-Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.
Despite strong objections from the US and the threat of sanctions from the Biden administration, India has refused to make any changes in its decision and is going ahead with the purchase of the missile defence system.
India pursues an independent foreign policy and its defence acquisitions are guided by its national security interests, the Ministry of External Affairs said in November 2021.
India’s import of Russian oil has swelled ever since it started trading on discount as the West shunned it to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
The Indian government has been vehemently open about its oil trade with Russia, saying it will source oil from where it is the cheapestand no one can dictate things on this.
Russia has for the second month in a row remained India’s top oil supplier in November, surpassing traditional sellers Iraq and Saudi Arabia, according to data from energy cargo tracker Vortexa.
Russia, which made up for just 0.2 per cent of all oil imported by India in the year to March 31, 2022, supplied 9,09,403 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil to India in November.
