India wants to be strong friends with the “liberal world” but it needs Russia’s assistance to defend its borders, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Saturday, said, following backlash over not condemning Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Sitharaman was in the US to attend the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Talking to a group of Indian journalists in Washington, he said bilateral relations between India and the US have strengthened as it progresses and more opportunities have arisen in the post-Ukraine war.
During her visit to the US, the Finance Minister held several bilateral meetings and participated in various multilateral meetings. She communicated with several top officials of the Biden administration. On a question related to bilateral relations, Sitharaman said, “It is believed that India’s relations with America have progressed. These have deepened. No one is questioning these. He said, “But it is also clear that not only the traditional dependence on Russia for defense equipment, but India also has many decades-old relations with it. And if I can say something with some confidence, it is a positive understanding. This is not a negative understanding.
Sitharaman said, “I think more and more opportunities are being created, instead America is distancing us from saying that we are taking a firm stand on Russia and it does not seem that we are going close to it. are. The finance minister’s statement comes amid growing unease in the West over India’s refusal to directly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and New Delhi’s decision to purchase Russian oil.
The US also wants India to stop dependence on Russia, the largest defense supplier, to meet its defense needs. According to Sitharaman, India's relations with America are improving day by day. She said, “It is recognized that there is a friend, but the geographical location of that friend has to be understood. And a friend cannot be weakened for any reason. ,
