New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla with US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh, during their meeting in New Delhi. Photo: PTI
New Delhi: Ahead of Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s two-day visit to New Delhi, the US deputy national security adviser for economics Daleep Singh has warned India that there will be consequences awaiting countries looking to avoid US sanctions against Russia.
This is the latest US missives to India on which ‘side’ to pick in the light of Russia’s attack on Ukraine and Washington’s response to it.
Speaking to journalists in New Delhi during the course of his visit to the country, US deputy national security adviser for economics Daleep Singh didn’t specify exactly what “consequences” may be in store, saying that these were a subject of private discussions, The Times of India reported.
“I came here in the spirit of friendship to explain the mechanism of our sanctions and the importance of joining us to express shared resolve and to advance shared interests. And yes, there are consequences for countries that seek to circumvent these sanctions,’’ he said.
However, he also added that the US has not set any ‘red lines’ for India. “Friends don’t set red lines. Our discussions were very similar to those with our partners in Europe and in Asia…which is to say over time we should share an interest in reducing our reliance on an unreliable energy supplier. And while we understand that will take time, we would not like to see any attempt to take advantage of the situation to rapidly increase energy supplies at cross purposes with the strategic objectives of this sanctions regime.”
Singh told reporters that the US doesn’t want to see “rapid acceleration’’ of India’s energy imports from Russia. He further mentioned that over time, it would be important to reduce the reliance on an “unreliable supplier”. “And while we understand that will take time, we would not like to see any attempt to take advantage of the situation to rapidly increase energy supplies at cross purposes with the strategic objectives of this sanctions regime“.
Earlier, the US had stated that the purchase of Russian oil would put India on the “wrong side of history”, to which Indian officials had pointed out that there were no sanctions on Russian oil exports. They had also said that the US’s European allies were still buying fuel from Russia. India had also said that countries with oil self-sufficiency “cannot credibly advocate restrictive trading”.
With Russia offering deep discounts, Indian Oil has reportedly bought three million barrels of Russian crude. There are also reports that India may import as much as 15 million barrels of crude from Russia this year. However, government officials have pointed out that Russia is a marginal supplier of crude oil to India, whereas most of these imports are from West Asia, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Singh, who is spearheading US sanctions on Russia, further said that the US is very keen that all countries, particularly allies and partners, don’t create mechanisms that prop up Russia’s currency and undermine the dollar-based financial system.
Security issues
In an interview to CNN-News18, Singh said that core principles underpinning peace and security all over the world are at stake.
“That is why we are imposing these costs on Russia and that is why we are helping Ukraine fight for its freedom,” he told the news channel. He added that if sanctions were not put against a dictator, in this case Russia, then the cost will be borne by all the democracies. “They might want to exert sphere of influence, perhaps on India’s borders. Those are not costs we are going to accept.”
He also highlighted India’s security matters and spoke about how strengthening ties between Russia and China may prove to be less favourable for India.
“The more Russia becomes China’s junior partner, the more leverage China gains over Russia, and the less and less favourable that is for India’s strategic posture…has anyone thought if China breaches the Line of [Actual] Control, Russia would come to India’s defence. I don’t,” he said.
Singh further said that the economic relationship between the US and India was a story of missed opportunities and misunderstandings. But he added that it is changing now. “The US is India’s top trading partner more than ten times as much as Russia. It is the second largest source of FDI in India. We are the fourth largest supplier of energy, both crude oil and natural gas, four times as much as Russia’s exports to India as a percentage of GDP.”
On whether there will be a rollback of sanctions, Singh said that even after pledging to scale back its military operations, Russia continued to bomb areas around Kyiv on Wednesday, March 30. “The truth is that Russia has been lying to the international community for over six months now about its intentions.”
https://thewire.in/diplomacy/consequences-against-nations-avoiding-sanctions-against-russia-undermining-dollar-us-official
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