Washington:
US President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser said the administration has warned India against aligning with Russia and US officials are “disappointed” by some of New Delhi’s response to the Ukraine war.
“There are certainly areas where we have been disappointed by the decisions of both China and India in terms of aggression,” Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters at an event organized by the Christian Science Monitor.
The US has told India that the outcome of a “more clear strategic alignment” with Moscow would be “significant and long-term”. While the US, Europe, Australia and Japan have imposed economic sanctions on Russia in response to its war against Ukraine. India has refused and instead sought to continue importing Russian oil.
New Delhi’s response to the invasion is complicating its relationship with Washington, where India is perceived as a key partner in countering Chinese influence in Asia.
Dees’s remarks came after Deputy National Security Advisor Dalip Singh arrived in India last week for a meeting with officials.
Earlier this week press secretary Jen Psaki said, “What Duleep made clear to his counterparts during the visit was that we do not consider it in India’s interest to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other goods.” Huh.”
US officials told a briefing for journalists on the new sanctions against Russia that the US and the rest of the Group of Seven countries would continue to cooperate with India and hoped that they could align efforts as much as possible. The official said India and the US cooperate extensively on food security and global energy.
Apart from the demand for Russian oil, India is the world’s largest buyer of Russian weapons. According to people familiar with the matter, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the US and Australia to ease ties, insisting that India needs Russian weapons to counter both Pakistan and China. And the alternatives are very expensive.
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