Exclusive - India will find it difficult to navigate between US, Russia: Former ambassador

India seems to be under pressure from the West as the Biden administration will decide whether to apply or waive sanctions on India for its purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia. Former Ambassador of India to the US, Meera Shankar weighs in on the situation in an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat's Chandrakala Choudhary.

New Delhi:India’s neutral approach and diplomatic dilemma over its stand on the Ukraine crisis has drawn criticism from US lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, at a recent hearing on the US ties with India. India seems to be under pressure from the West as the Joe Biden administration will decide whether to apply or waive sanctions on India under the CAATSA law for its purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia.

The major question is will India’s stand on the Ukraine crisis hurt its foreign interest and its position in global politics in the long run? Reacting to the development, former ambassador of India to the US Meera Shankar said, “India has a very strong relationship with the US because we have convergence interest in the Indo-Pacific vis-à-vis China but we also have a good traditional strategic partnership with Russia. And it is one where Russia is a major supplier of defence equipment and much of our old equipment which our army still uses are of Russian origin."

About 60 per cent of India's defence equipment, she said, are "still of Russian origin, though we have tried to diversify our sources of supply in recent years and the US, Israel, France have emerged as a major new supplier". "Given the fact that Chinese troop is mobilized right on our border, I think that the government will take a position, which will avoid pushing Russia into a corner," the former ambassador said.

She reiterated that India in the UN has maintained that sovereignty and territorial integrity of states are the basic founding principle of the UN and that it must be respected by all countries. India has also called for an immediate cessation of violence while citing that way forward is through talks and discussions.

“We have a world where there are multiple poles of power and not just one pole. If Russia becomes very weak, then we have a world that has just two poles- the US and the West. And China is not a country with which we are friendly, so, the world becomes very unipolar. I think, taking a lot of aspects into account, the government has chosen the path, which avoids aggravating the situation, keeps channels open to both sides," she pointed out.

Asked if India’s neutral stand on the Ukraine crisis could hurt its foriegn interest, in the long run, Meera Shankar replied, “A lot of things will have to be navigated. I don’t want to prejudge how things are going to go but certainly, it will become more difficult for India to navigate between the US and the Russia”. Could the government afford to put defence forces in Jeopardy with China's raid on the border? She asked while adding that ‘it will be highly irresponsible on the part of the government’.

“There are only permanent interests that the US have and they pursue them to the best of their ability," the ambassador said. Meanwhile, several US senators expressed disappointment over India’s vote on the Ukraine crisis. Many including ranking member (Republican) Todd Young, even said that India was trying to stay on the side of the winners in the Russian-Ukraine situation.

Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia further told the committee, which was holding a hearing on US-India relations that the Biden administration spared no effort to try to convince India both to vote in U.N. sessions but also to show support for Ukraine at this critical time.

During the committee meeting, when asked if India would be sanctioned for its purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia, diplomat Lu said that the question was still being considered and he did not want to prejudge the decisions on whether there would be sanctions or a waiver and whether Russia attacking Ukraine would have any impact on that decision. India is procuring S-400 missile systems under a $5.43 billion deal despite America’s threat of sanctions under the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions act).

"What I can say is that India is a really important security partner of ours now, and that we value that partnership. Moving forward, I hope that part of what happens with the extreme criticism that Russia has faced is that India will find it is now time to further distance itself from Russia,” Donald Lu added.

On Wednesday, amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the Russian ambassador to India Denis Alipov told reporters in Delhi that sanctions imposed on Moscow, old or new, will not hamper the S-400 supply to India. “Don’t foresee any obstacles as far as S-400 supply to India is concerned, have routes to continue with this deal unobstructed. Sanctions-old or new, do not interfere in any way," he added.