US president Joe Biden has once again pressured India to stand with the US and the west in its opposition to the Russian ‘military operation’ in Ukraine.
“The Quad is, with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of this, but Japan has been extremely strong ? so has Australia ? in terms of dealing with Putin?s aggression,” Biden was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
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Biden’s statements come soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison this week. Both leaders expressed their support to the US over its sanctions on Ukraine and also spoke to PM Modi regarding the issue. Among both nations, Australia acknowledged that Russia-India ties are historic and the world needs to understand the close relations both nations have.
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Biden ignored the understanding showed by other Quad partners and chose to compare NATO to Quad while speaking of Quad’s response but stopped short of noticing that disarray among NATO members with Poland being jittery and taking steps without informing Washington.
Biden is rushing to Warsaw after Poland said that it wants to install a peacekeeping operation in Ukraine. Polish deputy prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński said that such an agreement was discussed when he along with Polish president Mateusz Morawiecki, his Czech and Slovenian counterparts, Petr Fiala and Janez Jansa met with Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky and prime minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv last week.
The US was surprised ? as it was when earlier Poland was about to send MiG fighter jets to help Ukraine protect its airspace ? and will now see Biden heading to Warsaw to soothe Warsaw’s strained nerves. Poland is right to fear Russian aggression as Ukraine, like Afghanistan, were left to fend for themselves while they were seeking US’ help.
Poland’s decisions in which Brussels is kept in loop but Washington is only made aware later may force the Biden administration to rethink if there is shakiness in the so-called western unity. It is also worth mentioning that the US president faced challenges getting Germany on board with regard to sanctions thus again denting the idea of a western unity which the US boasts about.
The u-turn from the Biden administration comes weeks after it said that it understands Russia and India ties are distinct. “We share important interests with India. We share important values with India. And we know India has a relationship with Russia that is distinct from the relationship that we have with Russia. Of course, that is okay,” US state department spokesperson Ned Price said last month.
But there has been a continual change in US stance indicating that it requires Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s help to use India-Russia relations to persuade Russian president Vladimir Putin to stop his so-called ‘military operation’ in Ukraine. The US president also chose to ignore that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin have spoken to PM Modi more than twice and PM Modi advising both to speak directly.
The US is also unhappy over India’s decision to buy crude oil from Russia even though India has clarified that the import is marginal.
Former diplomat Kanwal Sibal also questioned Biden’s stance. “Uncalled for remark on India by Biden. US policy toward Russia has been teetering on shaky foundations since the end of the Cold War and now the structure is collapsing. Why should India pay for US folly in drawing Ukraine into Nato. US sanctions are hurting us & we should support them?” Sibal said in a tweet.
The Indian government has also said that legitimate energy transactions should not be politicised. It also said that competitive offers will be entertained if Russia’s military operation in Ukraine pushes the energy sector into further turmoil.
The US political establishment also has lawmakers like Ro Khanna who have criticised India’s stance at the UNSC. White House press secretary Jen Psaki also asked India to think on which side of history it wanted to be in with regard to India’s energy concerns. The US has also failed to convince the 27-nation European Union, which relies on Russia for 40% of its gas. The EU, according to Reuters, needs time until June to find enough alternative sources of energy to seriously consider an oil embargo on Russia.
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