India has maintained that its existing policy towards Russia would remain unchanged even as the US urges it to rethink the same and turn its back on the Moscow, using its sanctions grip as a tool for the process.
Following the crash of the Malaysian airline Flight 17 in Ukraine a month back, the US has been urging its allies to give Russia the cold shoulder. However, India’s foreign policy chief has revealed that despite the pressure it faces, India would not change its policy towards Moscow.
Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has also reportedly revealed that the current policy would continue and would not change just because the government has changed. This comment followed the meeting she had with the US Secretary of State John Kerry in the nation’s capital last week. John Kerry is in the country as part of the mission of renewing America’s dwindling ties with India after the NSA phone hacking scandal threatened to sour the relationship between the two countries. Kerry also revealed that the US would welcome India if it decides to join hands with respect to sanctions on Russia, citing that it was entirely the latter’s choice to do so.
Reports from the Wall Street Journal suggest that the US has been approaching several of its allies in Southeast Asia in a bid to raise a campaign that would ask these nations to follow its line on Russia. The reports also reveal that a senior official of the US State Department had also visited government officials as well as commercial and financial centers in Singapore, China and South Korea in order to shed light on what the country has done so far and rally support for its future endeavors, aka placing pressure on Russia. While the outcome of these visits are yet to be known in countries other than India, the senior official maintained that there had been an open exchange of views between both sides.
In the midst of these developments, a spokesperson from the South Korean Foreign Ministry is said to have told the Wall Street Journal that is has no plans to commit with the US for any sanctions against Russia. The official is further quoted to have said that talks with the US also focused on Iran and other issues.
Ever since the fateful crash of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 on Ukrainian soil last month, the US has been persuading its allies in Southeast Asia to join hands and impose sanctions against Russia. However, India has revealed that it has no plans to change its existing policy on Russia.
