NEW DELHI ¨C During a parliamentary debate in April, I expressed my concerns about India¡¯s relationship with Russia. My words were met with grim-faced silence. But the events of the last five months or so have only strengthened my case.
The debate was on the Ukraine war. While deploring India¡¯s reluctance to call a Russian shovel a spade, I acknowledged that India has historically depended on the Kremlin for defense supplies, spare parts and appreciated Russia¡¯s long-standing support on vital issues like Kashmir and border tensions with China and Pakistan. But the Ukraine war and Western sanctions had weakened Russia considerably, I noted. The ban on semiconductor chips, for example, had significantly eroded its ability to produce advanced electronics and defense goods that form the basis of India¡¯s dependence.
Worse still, I argued, the war had highlighted and reinforced Russia¡¯s reliance on China as its principal global partner ¡ª a relationship that would intensify as Russia grew weaker. India could then scarcely depend on the Kremlin to counter Chinese aggression, exemplified by the People¡¯s Liberation Army¡¯s territorial encroachments and killing of 20 Indian soldiers in June 2020.
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