Expressing his unhappiness over India's neutral stand on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, US Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh on Thursday warned New Delhi that Russia will not help India if China violates Line of Actual Control. Daleep Singh, who is on an official visit to India, made these remarks while talking to media persons after his meeting with foreign secretary Harshvardhan Shringla. When asked about the possible US action over circumvention of its sanctions by India, the US deputy NSA said that he would not reveal what transpired during his discussion with Indian officials.
Key Points:
1. Referring to India's decision to purchase discounted oil from Russia, US Deputy NSA Daleep Singh,said that India “currently importing Russian energy doesn’t violate any of the sanctions, What we would not like to see is a rapid acceleration of India's imports from Russia as it relates to energy or any other exports that are currently being prohibited by the US or by other aspects of the international sanctions regime".
2. Singh, referring to the rouble-rupee payment mechanism for bilateral trade between New Delhi and Moscow said, "We would not like to see mechanisms that are designed to prop up the rouble or to undermine the dollar-based financial system or to circumvent our financial sanctions".
3. When questioned about possible consequences of an attempt to circumvent the sanctions, US Deputy NSA said: "that's the subject of private discussions that I am not going to share publicly."
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4. He also said that the US is ready to help India in meeting its requirement of energy and defence equipment. "So the conversation I've had here is that we stand ready to help India diversify its energy resources, much like is the case for defence resources over a period of time," he added.
5. In an effort to unite the democracies against Russia and to justify the sanctions US imposed against Russia, Singh said, " the truth is that there are core principles at stake in our judgement. Core principles that underpin peace and security all over the world, the principle that you can't redraw borders by force, the principles that you can't subjugate the will of the free people, that countries have the right to set their own course and choose their own destiny. And Putin is violating all of those principles. And that's why we're imposing these sanctions. That's why we're supporting Ukraine's fight for freedom".
6. Daleep Singh also said Russia's "needless war" has resulted in serious consequences for the world. "I realise there are consequences, consequences from Putin's needless war of choice. You see them in energy prices here in India and certainly in the US and all over the world. You see them in food prices, refugee flows, trade disruptions. But it's important not to forget the root cause of those consequences is Putin's war. And in our judgement, if dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they continue to sow chaos all over the world," he said.
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7. Highlighting the purpose of the visit Singh said, “I have come here in a spirit of friendship to explain the mechanisms of our sanctions, the importance of joining us to express shared resolve and to advance shared interests. And, and yes, there are consequences to countries that actively attempt to circumvent or backfill the sanctions”.
