Advertisement
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: India backs off berating Putin to get weapons for China border fight
- India abstained twice on a UN resolution denouncing Russia’s aggression as it needs the country’s weaponry amid border tensions with Beijing
- Moscow has been one of New Delhi’s biggest arms suppliers since the Cold War and also backed the government’s hardline policies in Kashmir
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
57
India plans to avoid condemning Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as it needs Russian weapons in its stand-off with China, and officials in New Delhi are confident the US won’t apply much pressure, people familiar with the matter said.
Advertisement
Moscow has been one of India’s biggest weapons suppliers since the Cold War, with more than half of the country’s fighter jets and almost all of its tanks coming from Russia.
Russia also backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hardline policies in the disputed region of Kashmir, which were widely criticised.
Both factors are holding Modi back from publicly censuring Putin along with the US, Europe and other nations, said the people who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorised to speak to the media.
India raised eyebrows over the weekend when it joined China and the United Arab Emirates in abstaining from voting on a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the invasion, which was ultimately vetoed by Russia.
Advertisement
Advertisement