India again defended its ties to Moscow amidst the war on Ukraine that killed thousands of people.
What happened: At a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart Penny Wongin Canberra, India’s Foreign Minister S.Jaishankar responded to a question about whether the South Asian nation was reconsidering its ties with Moscow, deflecting criticism of his country’s “long-standing” ties with Moscow.
Jaishankar said on Monday that the relationship with Russia “certainly served our interests well”. reported Nike Asia.
Whilst defending New Delhi’s purchase of Russian arms, he said that India has a “substantial inventory of arms of Soviet and Russian origin” and that stocks have increased for a number of reasons, including “the merits of the weapons systems themselves” and the Fact that this is the case Western countries have not supplied arms to India “for several decades”.
India has never took a clear stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, given its longstanding security ties, however, has called for diplomacy and dialogue to end the conflict. Last month, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his interaction with the Russian President Wladimir Putinsaid, that today’s era is not an era of warcriticized Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
Meanwhile, India voted to reject Putin’s call for a secret ballot in parliament UN General Assembly on a draft resolution condemning Moscow’s “illegal” annexation of four regions of Ukraine, with New Delhi along with over 100 other nations endorsing a public vote on the text, reported Press Trust of India.
Learn more about Benzinga’s coverage in Europe and Asia at the following this link.
