During a Trilateral Defense Ministers’ Meeting (TDMM) in Hawaii last weekend, the US, Japan and Australia made strong statements against China and Russia in what will set the tone for the next meeting of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). A date is being finalised for the group’s next meeting. “Obviously, these three Quad member states will be ramping up pressure on their partner in the group—India– once again to publicly criticise Russia for which they have started setting the tone,” diplomatic sources who kept a close watch over the TDMM interactions told The Daily Guardian. “India will continue to stick to its stand on the Ukraine conflict, no matter what they expect from it during the Quad interactions. Dialogue and diplomacy will resolve the problems between Ukraine and Russia, not any kind of condemnation or criticism,” the sources further said, adding, “India continues to be in favour of immediate cessation of violence.”
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his visit to Australia, a key Quad member, will reiterate New Delhi’s stand that Ukraine and Russia must resolve their problems through dialogue and taking one side or the other will be of no help. “Jaishankar will tell his
Australian counterpart that any kind of condemnation of one country or the other will escalate the situation,” sources said. Jaishankar will be on a visit to Australia and New Zealand from 5 October.
The US, Japan and Australia are still keen that their partner in Quad—India—should call out Russia at the multilateral forums like Quad. On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin hosted Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, and Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii. This interaction was part of the Trilateral Defense Ministers’ Meeting (TDMM). The defense ministers of all these countries slammed China and Russia. Diplomats believe that the similar terse tone will be seen during the next Quad meeting and India will be expected by them to come out with a strong statement against Moscow.
At the TDMM in Hawaii, the US, Japan and Australia said China and Russia are “trying to dismantle” the rules-based international world order. “Such a strong views expressed during the meeting against Russia suggest that all the three countries are trying to set Russia as a key dominating agenda for the next Quad meeting,” a diplomat says, adding, “India will be pushed to call out Russia openly.” India is not part of this TDMM alliance. India wants the Quad to stay focused on China’s aggressive and bullying behaviour in the Indo-Pacific. “Russia centric agenda will render the Quad interactions meaningless, and the key issue of dealing with Beijing’s belligerence will remain on the backburner,” a diplomat said, adding, “India has repeatedly told these Quad members that the Ukraine invasion should be seen in larger context and in totality. The steps that could broker peace between the warring camps should be taken immediately instead of making it the West versus the rest.” “So, that is how India is going to react, no matter which the forum might be,” he added.