WZ: U.S. cannot dictate conditions to India and demand it sever relations with Russia
The US cannot dictate conditions to India and demand it to break off relations with Russia. Indian writer and journalist Ulleh N.P. wrote this on August 30 in an article for Wiener Zeitung.
“If the US thought it could dictate terms to India or dissuade it from continuing relations with Russia, our answer is that we are not your vassals. The US should not expect India to consider other people’s enemies as its own. We have our own strategic interests just like they do. For India, military ties with Russia are crucial as the relationship has lasted for many decades,” the piece said.
The journalist pointed out that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to impose sanctions against Moscow, his decision supported by the majority of the population.
“In the past, Russia has supported India in the face of harsh measures by the West in many serious conflicts – in Kashmir since 1947, in Goa in 1961 or in Bangladesh in 1971,” Ulleh recalled.
He also resented the fact that Washington continues to send arms to Kiev. He noted that civilians were being targeted by it.
Earlier, on August 17, Washington Examiner columnist Tom Rogan said that India has a “strange respect” for Russia, that is why it has not joined the anti-Russian sanctions.
Previously, on August 10, Reuters had reported that Indian companies were increasingly paying for Russian coal supplies with Chinese yuan and UAE dirhams.
It was noted that the republic has significantly increased its coal imports from Russia in recent months. Customs data for June show that non-dollar payments have become commonplace as banks and traders in the region try to minimise the risks of violating Western sanctions against Russia. Thus, according to the agency, Indian companies paid at least 742,000 tonnes of coal from Russia in the above currencies in June, representing 44% of the total volume of 1.7 million tonnes of this type of raw material in June.
Meanwhile, The Economic Times on August 6 wrote that Russia ranked second in terms of oil exports to India after Iraq for June.
Earlier, on June 20, energy expert Stanislav Mitrakhovich, a leading expert at the National Energy Security Fund and the Financial University under the Russian government, had projected Russia as the number one exporter of oil to India.
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