GlobalVillageSpace
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Global Village Space|
GVS: How is the Russia-Ukraine crisis affecting India’s foreign policy?
Sanjay Kapoor: I think India’s foreign policy is under enormous pressure primarily because we took a stand in favor of Russia, not really favor, but you know, if you don’t take sides, you seem to be favoring one against the other. We abstained thrice in United Nations Resolutions, which were supposed to pin Russia down. We have even responded positively to Russia’s offer to buy $3.5 billion worth of oil from them, which they are giving us at a considerable price discount.
All this is deeply resented by the US and the Western Allies, who are putting enormous pressure on India to take a stand to criticize Russia. But we haven’t done that because we have old ties with Russia and its physical precursor Soviet Union. The Soviet Union time and again came to our rescue whenever there was a crisis pertaining to Kashmir or even when we had a scrap with our ‘not-so-friendly neighbor,’ Pakistan. The fact of the matter is that we hold the Soviet Union in very high esteem. It supported us even when it came to the war against Pakistan in 1971, especially when it came to Bangladesh, USSR vetoed the United States of America’s effort to stop us from going in, so those memories haven’t faded.
We think now, at a time when India is at a point where it can help Russia, we don’t want to be abandoning a friend. This point of view is not in any way seen very kindly by the US. However, some of the US officials recognize this and say that India has a complicated relationship with the West. Overall, we know that India is undoubtedly way moving towards the West.
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GVS: How is the Russia-Ukraine crisis affecting India’s foreign policy?
Sanjay Kapoor: I think India’s foreign policy is under enormous pressure primarily because we took a stand in favor of Russia, not really favor, but you know, if you don’t take sides, you seem to be favoring one against the other. We abstained thrice in United Nations Resolutions, which were supposed to pin Russia down. We have even responded positively to Russia’s offer to buy $3.5 billion worth of oil from them, which they are giving us at a considerable price discount.
All this is deeply resented by the US and the Western Allies, who are putting enormous pressure on India to take a stand to criticize Russia. But we haven’t done that because we have old ties with Russia and its physical precursor Soviet Union. The Soviet Union time and again came to our rescue whenever there was a crisis pertaining to Kashmir or even when we had a scrap with our ‘not-so-friendly neighbor,’ Pakistan. The fact of the matter is that we hold the Soviet Union in very high esteem. It supported us even when it came to the war against Pakistan in 1971, especially when it came to Bangladesh, USSR vetoed the United States of America’s effort to stop us from going in, so those memories haven’t faded.
We think now, at a time when India is at a point where it can help Russia, we don’t want to be abandoning a friend. This point of view is not in any way seen very kindly by the US. However, some of the US officials recognize this and say that India has a complicated relationship with the West. Overall, we know that India is undoubtedly way moving towards the West.
Read full story...
