NED price please stop pontificating to India, teach your gospel to white house
Russia is and has been a very reliable friend of India since last 60 years and India needs no certification from the United States of America or Western Europe to continue this friendships. By now this fact should have been quite clear to all and sundry except may be the US State Department.
Since the start of Russian Ukraine conflict, Russia has also become the cheapest source of energy to India. It’s in the interest of India to buy not only the maximum possible oil from Russia but also invest in the oil field in Far Eastern parts of Russia.
This will also provide leverage to India to buy at cheaper rates from the Arab World, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela and even the USA. By the way buying oil from Russia does not make India dependent on Russia or any other country, as some may like to think. India is paying everyone in hard cash and Ned Price should be fully aware of this fact.
So when Price of the US State Department said that India should decrease its dependence on Russia and reiterated that the US is committed to working with India on its transition away from Russia, it sounded most funny to Indians of all hues.
Responding to a query on India becoming Russia’s largest oil customer after China and expansion of their trade ties, US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price uttered, like the present British that “We have been intentional about exempting oil and gas- energy sector- from sanctions imposed on Russia. The fact that India continues to seek oil and other forms of energy from Russia- isn’t something that runs afoul of sanctions that have been imposed,” he added.
As if, USA or Western Europe are now in a position to dictate terms to India. It has been made clear to everyone that India will abide only to UN imposed sanctions and not to any unilateral sanctions of any other country.
Meanwhile, Price also reiterated that “the US is committed to helping India in its transition away from Russia. The US has consistently made the point that it is a relationship, that developed and was cemented over the course of decades. “
Indians are naturally amazed at this sudden love and commitment of Ned Price for India. Indo Russian relationships have consistently progressed since 1960’s. The relationship developed and was cemented over the course of decades, really came to be during the 1971 War at a time when the United States and Britain tried to physically threaten India by sending a naval Flotilla armed with nuclear marines into the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
However, now India’s relations with USA have changed in the past 25 years. Now USA had started realizing that it cannot dictate matters to India. To gain Indian friendship, it has to interact with India on basis of complete equality and nothing else. Though because of mind set of people like Ned Price, this attitudinal change in US polity will take time.
Though to be fair to Price, he does say “We have sought to deepen our partnership with India in every sector, including when it comes to economics, including when it comes to our security ties, and our military cooperation as well.
Now, this is a transition that we’ve always been clear-eyed will not take place overnight, over the course even a few months or probably even over the course of a couple of years. India is a large country, a vast country, with a large economy that has demanding needs.
And so the transition and the reorientation that we hope to see from India is something that this administration will be committed to working with India on. But this will likely be a task for this administration and administrations to come.”
Well, keep trying but be clear that India will never join any military alliance with any country or block. India believes in having good bilateral relationship with every country possible and feasible and that includes China.
