Washington: Amid concerns over India’s ties with Russia, a top US official on Thursday cautioned New Delhi that it is not right to bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner. He claimed that in the event of a conflict between India and China, Russia will side with Beijing rather than New Delhi. US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan made this remark while responding to a question on TV channel ‘MSNBC’ about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Moscow. Modi had extensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It is not right to trust Russia: US NSA
Sullivan said, “We have made it clear to every country in the world, including India, that trusting Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet.” Sullivan visited India last month for a meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval. The top US official also met Prime Minister Modi during his visit. Sullivan said, “Russia is getting closer to China. In fact, it is becoming a partner of China. In this way, they will always side with China rather than India.”
Accepted India’s historical relations with Russia
However, he acknowledged that countries like India have historical relations with Russia and this situation is not going to change dramatically overnight. Prime Minister Modi was in Russia for two days for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit and his visit amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is also being closely watched by Western countries. During talks with Putin on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi told the Russian President that the solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed amid bombs and bullets.
