US President Joe Biden may be unhappy with India abstaining from voting against Russia at UNSC and UNGA, but several officials and diplomats in Washington do not have any problem with Delhi’s stance on the Ukraine war. “Most of these officials have apprised the Biden administration of their views on India’s position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” highly-placed sources, who are in touch with US diplomats, told The Daily Guardian.
“These US diplomats want ties between Washington and New Delhi not to be affected by whatever stand India is taking vis-à-vis the Russian military offensive against Ukraine,” sources said. “Though they are not coming on record, they have shared their views with officials of the Biden administration in private conversations,” sources said. “Ever since the Ukraine war began, Indian diplomats kept interacting with their counterparts in the US and other western countries briefing them on Delhi’s stand in the right perspective. They have said that they don’t have any problem with Delhi’s stand,” sources said.
In an important development that augurs well for Indian diplomatic efforts, an influential Republican Senator has cautioned that it would be foolish to harm bilateral ties because of India’s Ukraine stand. During a Senate panel hearing on relations with India early this week, Indiana Senator Todd Young said: “It would be foolish and deeply short-sighted for the US to harm our relationship with India over what is occurring in Ukraine”. Sources said that other senators who are close to Biden stressed “India’s importance to the US because of its strategic position and the size of its population and economy.”
Sources at MEA see this as an important development amid reports saying that Biden will decide whether to apply or waive sanctions on India under the CAATSA law for its purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia.
Indian leadership and diplomats have already made New Delhi’s stand on Ukraine clear to US leaders—from Joe Biden to Antony Blinken—saying that there is no question of India changing its stance. Sources said that Ambassador to US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu has also been in touch with several diplomats in Washington. “The feedback suggests that several diplomats and senators in Washington pitch for a better India-US relationship which should be unaffected by the developments in Ukraine,” sources said.
Meanwhile, India on Friday abstained from voting at the UN Human Rights Council on the establishment of an independent international inquiry commission in the aftermath of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The 47-member Council voted on a draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Ukraine. The resolution was adopted with 32 votes in favour, two against (Russia and Eritrea) and 13 abstentions, including India, China, Pakistan, Sudan and Venezuela. The resolution “condemned in the strongest possible terms human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law resulting from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”
The countries voting in favour included France, Germany, Japan, Nepal, UAE, UK and the US. “The Human Rights Council has decided to urgently establish an independent international commission of inquiry as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” the Council tweeted.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS