ADOPTING A MORE NEUTRAL STANCE
India is not shying away from engaging with Russia, despite the US expressing concerns about military and trade relations between the two sides, said observers.
“India has been careful to adopt a more neutral stance, not siding with the Western countries in cornering Russia,” said former Indian ambassador to the US Meera Shankar.
“Because at the end of the day, if Russia feels itself in a corner, the chances of a negotiated settlement become more remote. So we feel it’s important not to have Russia pushed totally into the Chinese basket.”
Some analysts believe Russia is attempting to help India de-escalate tensions with China.
Russia has been pushing the revival of a trilateral dialogue with India and China. But that grouping has not met since 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a deadly conflict in eastern Ladakh, sparking a border standoff that remains in place today.
While border differences remain a source of tension between the Asian giants, the appointment of former Indian ambassador to China Vikram Misri as the country’s new foreign secretary is seen as a sign that India may be keen to reset bilateral ties.
Recently, India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar held a rare meeting with China’s new envoy to India Xu Feihong, where the two stressed on a common interest in stabilising ties.
