India developed ties with Russia out of necessity as US couldn’t do it earlier: Antony Blinken
“In the case of India, there is a relationship that goes back decades. And Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner,” he told lawmakers.
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Washington DC, April 28: United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that New Delhi built its partnership with Moscow out of necessity as Washington was not in a position to do that earlier.
Blinken gave this statement during a Congressional hearing by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations. “In the case of India, there is a relationship that goes back decades. And Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner,” he told lawmakers.
The US is investing in that effort and I think there is a growing strategic convergence between the two countries, he added.
Calling China a big part of that effort, Blinken said the Indo-US partnership has the potential to be one of the most important and foundational partnerships.
He also said that Beijing is paying a “reputational cost” for sitting on the fence about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He gave this statement when lawmakers asked him about China’s role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and expressed concerns over Chinese behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.
President Joe Biden made directly clear to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that it would not be in China’s interest to materially support Russia in this aggression or for that matter to undermine sanctions, the top US diplomat said.
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