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Where does India stand in the US v Russia conflict over Ukraine?

Washington: US President Joe Biden said Monday that India was an exception among Washington's allies with its "shaky" response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden lauded the US-led alliance, including NATO, the European Union and key Asian partners, for its united front against President Vladimir Putin.

This includes unprecedented sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's currency, international trade and access to high-tech goods.

However, unlike fellow members of the Quad group -- Australia, Japan and the United States -- India continues to purchase Russian oil and has refused to join votes condemning Moscow at the United Nations.

Addressing a meeting of US business leaders in Washington, Biden said there had been "a united front throughout NATO and in the Pacific."

"The Quad is, with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of this, but Japan has been extremely strong -- so has Australia -- in terms of dealing with Putin's aggression."

Biden said that Putin was "counting on being able to split NATO" and instead, "NATO has never been stronger, more united, in its entire history than it is today."

Indian oil refiners have reportedly continued to purchase discounted Russian oil, even as the West seeks to isolate Moscow.

An Indian government official said last week that the world's third-biggest consumer of crude relies on imports for almost 85 percent of its needs, with Russia supplying a "marginal" less than one percent of this.

But "the jump in oil prices after the Ukraine conflict has now added to our challenges... India has to keep focusing on competitive energy sources," the official added.

New Delhi, which historically has had close ties with Moscow, called for an end to the violence in Ukraine but has stopped short of condemning Russia's invasion, abstaining in three votes at the United Nations.

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I am quite surprised that India hasn't bent to US pressure so far. Seems like they still don't trust western intentions fully despite all the flirting and batting of eyelashes for commercial purposes.

Because we depend upon Russia for defense lol, if it was Venezuela we wouldn’t had cared.

Plus Russia has always been a good ally to India no doubt there we have many Russian loyalists in our agencies.
 
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I get this from almost every indian defense expert who has appeared on this issue.

India has over 60 per cent of its defence equipment from Russia and depends on it for its maintenance and further acquisition. Russia is also not a sanction happy supplier like US.

Russia also supplies India with cutting edge strategic platforms like a Nuke Sub

Russia has been a constant support to India at the UNSC and vetoed anti Indian proposals.

It was Russia that set up the 1st nuclear power plant in Kundakulam.

This is not a buyer seller relation.

The US and the west don't do us any favours in economic terms. Its a trading partnership. France is an exception.

Only a fool will give up a strategic ally for a trading partner.

Well said.
 
'Unsatisfactory' But 'Unsurprising': US Over India's Stand On Russia-Ukraine War
India has avoided condemning Russian actions in Ukraine and abstained in UN Security Council votes


Washington: A senior White House official said on Friday India's position at the United Nations over the crisis in Ukraine has been "unsatisfactory" but was also unsurprising given its historical relationship with Russia.
Mira Rapp-Hooper, director for the Indo-Pacific on the White House National Security Council, told an online forum hosted by Washington's School of Advanced International Studies India needed alternatives to continued close ties with Russia.

"I think we would certainly all acknowledge and agree that when it comes to votes at the UN, India's position on the current crisis has been unsatisfactory, to say the least. But it's also been totally unsurprising," she said.

India has developed close ties with Washington in recent years and is a vital part of the Quad grouping aimed at pushing back against China. But it has a long-standing relationship with Moscow, which remains a major supplier of its defense equipment.

India has avoided condemning Russian actions in Ukraine and abstained in UN Security Council votes on the issue.

Ms Rapp-Hooper said India had cleaved closer to Russia as a hedge as its relationship with China worsened, but it was thinking "long and hard" about its defense dependency on Russia.

"I think our perspective would be that the way forward involves keeping India close, thinking hard about how to present it with options, so that it can continue to provide for its strategic autonomy," she said.

Even before the Ukraine crisis erupted, Delhi upset Washington with its purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system, putting it at risk of U.S. sanctions under a 2017 US law aimed at deterring countries from buying Russian military hardware.

Analysts say any sanctions against India could jeopardize US cooperation with Delhi in the Quad forum with Japan and Australia aimed at countering China's expanding influence.

Ms Rapp-Hooper said Washington and its allies and partners needed to look at their supply chains and think about how they can help countries that may be considering how to replace Russian defense systems.

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I am quite surprised that India hasn't bent to US pressure so far. Seems like they still don't trust western intentions fully despite all the flirting and batting of eyelashes for commercial purposes.

With a friend like USA, one will not need an enemy; force you to sleep at night with one eye open.
 
'Unsatisfactory' But 'Unsurprising': US Over India's Stand On Russia-Ukraine War
India has avoided condemning Russian actions in Ukraine and abstained in UN Security Council votes


Washington: A senior White House official said on Friday India's position at the United Nations over the crisis in Ukraine has been "unsatisfactory" but was also unsurprising given its historical relationship with Russia.
Mira Rapp-Hooper, director for the Indo-Pacific on the White House National Security Council, told an online forum hosted by Washington's School of Advanced International Studies India needed alternatives to continued close ties with Russia.

"I think we would certainly all acknowledge and agree that when it comes to votes at the UN, India's position on the current crisis has been unsatisfactory, to say the least. But it's also been totally unsurprising," she said.

India has developed close ties with Washington in recent years and is a vital part of the Quad grouping aimed at pushing back against China. But it has a long-standing relationship with Moscow, which remains a major supplier of its defense equipment.

India has avoided condemning Russian actions in Ukraine and abstained in UN Security Council votes on the issue.

Ms Rapp-Hooper said India had cleaved closer to Russia as a hedge as its relationship with China worsened, but it was thinking "long and hard" about its defense dependency on Russia.

"I think our perspective would be that the way forward involves keeping India close, thinking hard about how to present it with options, so that it can continue to provide for its strategic autonomy," she said.

Even before the Ukraine crisis erupted, Delhi upset Washington with its purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system, putting it at risk of U.S. sanctions under a 2017 US law aimed at deterring countries from buying Russian military hardware.

Analysts say any sanctions against India could jeopardize US cooperation with Delhi in the Quad forum with Japan and Australia aimed at countering China's expanding influence.

Ms Rapp-Hooper said Washington and its allies and partners needed to look at their supply chains and think about how they can help countries that may be considering how to replace Russian defense systems.

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As long as US equipment comes with attached strings, countries like India will never give up the Russians.
 
As long as US equipment comes with attached strings, countries like India will never give up the Russians.

Agreed and Indians will be able to get away with staying neutral in the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

However if China decides to take Taiwan, then Indians wont be able to remain with their neutral stand, they will have to join US if a war does break out...
 
The U.S. and Australia criticized India for considering a Russian proposal that would undermine sanctions imposed by America and its allies, showing a deepening rift between the emerging security partners as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov traveled to Delhi for talks.
"Now is the time to stand on the right side of history, and to stand with the United States and dozens of other countries, standing up for freedom, democracy and sovereignty with the Ukrainian people, and not funding and fueling and aiding President Putin's war," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. She called reports of the arrangement "deeply disappointing," while adding that she hadn't seen details.

Dan Tehan, Australia's trade minister who also spoke at the briefing, said it was important for democracies to work together "to keep the rules-based approach that we've had since the second world war."

The comments reflect growing unease with India among fellow members of the Quad, a group of democracies seeking to counter China's assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region that also includes the U.S., Australia and Japan. India is the world's largest buyer of Russian weapons, and has also sought to buy cheap oil as fuel prices surge.

While India has supported calls for a cease-fire and a diplomatic solution, it abstained at the United Nations on votes for draft resolutions condemning Russia's invasion that were ultimately vetoed by Moscow. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that India is weighing a plan to make rupee-ruble-denominated payments using an alternative to SWIFT after the U.S. and European Union cut off seven Russian banks from using the Belgium-based cross-border payment system operator.

The Russian plan involves rupee-ruble-denominated payments using the country's messaging system SPFS and central bank officials from Moscow are likely to visit next week to discuss the details. No final decision has been taken.

India's middle-ground position on the war has left to a raft of diplomacy in the past few weeks, with China's foreign minister visiting for the first time since 2019 and now Lavrov seeking to shore up support. At the same time, the U.S. and its allies are also stepping up engagement in a bid to influence Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Delhi earlier this month, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also held a video summit with Modi. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a call with his counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to discuss "the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine" among other issues.

During Lavrov's trip, India is also hosting U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh and U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Her office said she "will point to the importance of all countries reducing strategic dependency on Russia at this time of heightened global insecurity."

India has pushed back against U.S. concerns by noting that it needs Russian arms to counter China, particularly after border clashes in 2020, and alternatives are too expensive. The strategic relationship between India and Russia dates back to the Cold War and remains robust, even as Modi has shifted the country more toward the U.S. orbit in recent years.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/us-...ine-war-calls-it-deeply-disappointing-2853769
 
The timing of the passive aggression statements at India couldn't be worse considering what US is being accused of in Pakistan.
 
The timing of the passive aggression statements at India couldn't be worse considering what US is being accused of in Pakistan.

The state department will have a lot of cleaning to do after those comments of Dalip Singh.

UK foreign secretary Truss has been far better in her comments.
 
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow has developed a system to engage in trade in national currencies with countries such as India and efforts to move away from the dollar-based payment system will intensify. "More and more transactions will be done using national currencies and bypassing a dollar-based system," he said at a press conference after holding talks with external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

Lavrov said a rupee-ruble payment system for trade with India was put into place earlier and it could be strengthened further. Lavrov said Russia's central bank had several years ago established a system for the communication of financial information and India had a similar system.

According to reports, New Delhi and Moscow are working on a rupee-ruble mechanism to facilitate trade and get around Western sanctions on Russian banks.

When asked about India's plan to buy discounted Russian oil, Lavrov said Moscow is ready to provide anything that New Delhi wants to buy. "We are friends," he told reporters.

Russia is the biggest supplier of defence equipment to India and Lavrov said the two countries would use a rupee-ruble mechanism to trade oil, military hardware and other goods.

"I have no doubt that a way would be (found) to bypass the artificial impediments which illegal unilateral sanctions by the West create. This relates also to the area of military-technical cooperation," he said.

Lavrov said there was some movement forward in negotiations with Ukraine.

"Non-nuclear, non-bloc, neutral status - it is now being recognised as absolutely necessary," he said.

The Russian foreign minister also complimented India for its position on the Ukraine crisis, saying it follows an independent foreign policy.

"These days our Western colleagues would like to reduce any meaningful international issue to the crisis in Ukraine... (We) appreciate that India is taking this situation in the entirety of facts, not just in a one-sided way," Lavrov said.

"Friendship is the keyword to describe the history of our relations and our relations were very sustainable during many difficult times in the past," Lavrov said.

India has abstained from United Nations resolutions censuring Moscow and continues to buy oil from Russia.

Lavrov arrived in Delhi on Thursday from China, where he had hailed Beijing as part of a new "multipolar, just, democratic world order".

He is due to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before departing on Friday evening.

Moscow, facing massive Western sanctions in response to its invasion of Ukraine in February, has declared a "no-limits partnership" with China, which has also refused to condemn Russia's actions.

Lavrov also said the US pressure will not affect the partnership between India and Russia.

"Have no doubt pressure doesn't affect partnership, I have no doubt no pressure will affect our partnership... They (US) are forcing others to follow their politics," said Lavrov while replying to a question about US pressure affecting India-Russia ties.

Earlier this week, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price had said that every country has its own relationship with Moscow and Washington is not seeking any change in that.

"Different countries are going to have their own relationship with the Russian Federation. It's a fact of history. It's a fact of geography. That is not something that we are seeking to change," Price had said during a press briefing in Washington.

This is Lavrov's first trip to India since Moscow launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/
 
India is optimistic about talks next week with the US on military cooperation even as the Biden administration becomes more vocal in rebuking New Delhi over its reluctance to criticize Russia's war in Ukraine, people familiar with the matter said.

Recent public statements from Washington warning India about consequences for purchases of weapons and discounted oil from Russia are contrary to private discussions between the two sides, the people said, asking for anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks. They cited conversations in New Delhi last month with US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who offered help in finding alternative sources of weapons that could be used to counter neighbors Pakistan and China.

India informed Nuland that the alternatives to Russian weapons were too expensive, according to people familiar with the matter. In addition, Russian companies are more willing to set up joint ventures with Indian companies that include some technology transfer, something US defense firms are reluctant to do, they said.

Foreign and defense ministers of the US and India will meet in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for the first two-plus-two dialog since Joe Biden took office, India's Ministry of External Affairs said at its weekly briefing Thursday. Apart from defense cooperation, Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions will also be discussed at these meetings, the people said.

Tensions between the US and India have risen in recent weeks over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reluctance to criticize Putin, which has complicated a budding security partnership between the democracies in countering China's influence.

On Wednesday, in some of the sharpest language so far, Biden's top economic adviser, Brian Deese, said the US has told India that the consequences of a "more explicit strategic alignment" with Moscow would be "significant and long-term."

"There are certainly areas where we have been disappointed by both China and India's decisions, in the context of the invasion," Deese, the director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters.

India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Wednesday again underlined the importance of New Delhi's ties with Moscow.

Russia is an "important partner in a variety of areas," the minister told parliament. "Like all other countries, we too are assessing the implications" of Russia's war in Ukraine and "deciding what is best for our national interest."

The MEA did not respond to Deese's comments. However, spokesman Arindam Bagchi told reporters there was "no pressure on India to reduce economic relations with Russia."

"India will continue to press for an end to the violence in Ukraine and resolution dispute through diplomacy," he added.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden had a "candid exchange of views" on Russia's war in Ukraine at a virtual summit on Monday, after which the US said "India will make its own judgements" on the crisis but added that if New Delhi saw the "tight links between China and Russia", it will "obviously impact their thinking".
PM Modi, in the meeting, said he had suggested direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and added that he found the situation in Ukraine "very worrying".

Speaking of India's contributions to Ukraine in terms of medicines and relief material, PM Modi also reminded the US President of New Delhi's strong condemnation of the Russian aggression against civilians in Ukraine's Bucha and expressed hope that the "ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine will pave the way for peace".

"Recently, the news of killings of innocent civilians in Bucha city was very worrying. We immediately condemned it and demanded a fair investigation... We have placed importance on the safety of the civilian population in Ukraine and the uninterrupted supply of humanitarian aid to them," said the Prime Minister.

"When I came to Washington in September last year, you said that India-US partnership can contribute to the solution of many global problems. I completely agree with you. As the world's two largest and oldest democracies, we are natural partners," PM Modi added.

At a press briefing, White House, asked whether President Biden "pushed for India to take a side", said India would make its own decisions, but the discussions would continue.

The White House also noted India's "pretty strong statements" condemning the killing of civilians and supporting calls for an independent investigation.

"So, India is going to make its own judgments. You will have seen in recent days that India made some pretty strong statements in New York condemning the killings of civilians, supporting calls for an independent investigation. India is also providing humanitarian relief material to Ukraine, including medicine and other supplies. There were close consultations in early days about the Indian students that were - needed to be evacuated from Ukraine. So we're going to continue these discussions with India. I think India will make its own decisions, but we're going to continue the discussions," said the US.

PM Modi took the opportunity to share his views in a candid way about what's going on, the official said.

"We know that Russia has concerns - we know that India has concerns about the links between Russia and China. India, of course, is facing a very tense situation along the Line of Actual Control. And when India sees the tight links between China and Russia, that's obviously going to impact their thinking," the White House official told the media.

President Biden began the meeting with PM Modi by saluting the "deep connection" between the two countries and said he wanted to continue their "close consultation" over the war.

After the virtual summit, which was followed by an in-person meeting of ministers, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that it was important that "all countries, especially those with leverage, press Putin to end the war".

"And it's also important that democracies stand together and speak with one voice to defend the values that we share," Mr Blinken said after the talks, described by one US official as "warm and productive."

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, asked about Biden's push for India to cut energy imports from Russia, said "probably our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon."

The US has been pressuring world leaders to take a hard line against Moscow. The White House said there was no "concrete ask and concrete answer" on energy imports.


India abstained when the UN General Assembly voted last week to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council over allegations that Russian soldiers in Ukraine engaged in war crimes, especially the civilian killings in Bucha.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ind...biden-meet-2880301#pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories
 
Germany Weighs Snubbing India As G-7 Guest Over Russia Stance: Report
India was among the countries that abstained from a United Nations vote against Russia.


Germany is debating whether to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven summit it's hosting in June, given India's reluctance to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.
Germany is set to include Senegal, South Africa and Indonesia as guests at the meeting in Bavaria, but India remains under consideration, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential matters. One of the people said India had been on a list drawn up before the war in Ukraine started, and a final decision hadn't been taken.

India was among the more than 50 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, and has not imposed sanctions on Moscow. It is a significant buyer of Russian weapons, which it says it needs to deter its neighbors China and Pakistan.

Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin would present its list of guest attendees as soon as it is finalized.

"The chancellor has repeatedly made clear that he would like to see as many international partners as possible joining the sanctions," Hebestreit said. A foreign ministry spokesperson declined to comment.

G-7 Leadership

Germany itself has come under criticism from governments including Ukraine and Poland for its continuing reliance on Russian energy imports. Berlin has made moves to curtail that dependence, though the nation's companies rely heavily on Russian natural gas to power their factories.

G-7 nations have taken the lead in pursuing sanctions against Russia and some have sent weapons to Ukraine. They've sought to engage other countries to condemn President Vladimir Putin and to put limits on trade and investment with Russia, including on energy. But many governments in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East remain reluctant to do so.


One of the people pointed to data suggesting an increase in Russian oil deliveries to India since the late February invasion. This had not gone unnoticed in the chancellery, the person added.

India has said it will continue to buy Russian oil and Russia has been offering deliveries at a significantly discounted rate, Bloomberg previously reported. The government in New Delhi also plans to boost exports to Russia by an additional $2 billion as the two nations work out a payment system in local currencies to continue trade, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

German government officials have been in contact with their Indian counterparts since the start of the war, according to one official who asked not to be identified talking about private conversations. The foreign ministers from the two countries spoke by phone in late February.

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Modi on Monday via video call, where he said the U.S. stands ready to help India diversify its energy imports.

"The president has made clear that he does not believe it's in India's interest to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other commodities," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters afterward.

G-7 countries have also been discussing options to handle Putin should he show up for a Group of 20 summit in Indonesia later in the year. They would insist on any G-20 statement firmly condemning Russia, while at the same time wanting to avoid creating north-south divides within the bloc.

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India US relationship looking rosy, I always knew the Russia/Ukraine war wouldnt have affected India, at best it would have been a nuisance...
 
Germany Weighs Snubbing India As G-7 Guest Over Russia Stance: Report
India was among the countries that abstained from a United Nations vote against Russia.


Germany is debating whether to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven summit it's hosting in June, given India's reluctance to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.
Germany is set to include Senegal, South Africa and Indonesia as guests at the meeting in Bavaria, but India remains under consideration, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential matters. One of the people said India had been on a list drawn up before the war in Ukraine started, and a final decision hadn't been taken.

India was among the more than 50 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, and has not imposed sanctions on Moscow. It is a significant buyer of Russian weapons, which it says it needs to deter its neighbors China and Pakistan.

Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin would present its list of guest attendees as soon as it is finalized.

"The chancellor has repeatedly made clear that he would like to see as many international partners as possible joining the sanctions," Hebestreit said. A foreign ministry spokesperson declined to comment.

G-7 Leadership

Germany itself has come under criticism from governments including Ukraine and Poland for its continuing reliance on Russian energy imports. Berlin has made moves to curtail that dependence, though the nation's companies rely heavily on Russian natural gas to power their factories.

G-7 nations have taken the lead in pursuing sanctions against Russia and some have sent weapons to Ukraine. They've sought to engage other countries to condemn President Vladimir Putin and to put limits on trade and investment with Russia, including on energy. But many governments in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East remain reluctant to do so.


One of the people pointed to data suggesting an increase in Russian oil deliveries to India since the late February invasion. This had not gone unnoticed in the chancellery, the person added.

India has said it will continue to buy Russian oil and Russia has been offering deliveries at a significantly discounted rate, Bloomberg previously reported. The government in New Delhi also plans to boost exports to Russia by an additional $2 billion as the two nations work out a payment system in local currencies to continue trade, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

German government officials have been in contact with their Indian counterparts since the start of the war, according to one official who asked not to be identified talking about private conversations. The foreign ministers from the two countries spoke by phone in late February.

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Modi on Monday via video call, where he said the U.S. stands ready to help India diversify its energy imports.

"The president has made clear that he does not believe it's in India's interest to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other commodities," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters afterward.

G-7 countries have also been discussing options to handle Putin should he show up for a Group of 20 summit in Indonesia later in the year. They would insist on any G-20 statement firmly condemning Russia, while at the same time wanting to avoid creating north-south divides within the bloc.

NDTV

Very hypocritical of Germany. 40 percent of its natural gas comes from Russia & it has the temerity of calling out other countries for exporting oil from Russia?
 
Very hypocritical of Germany. 40 percent of its natural gas comes from Russia & it has the temerity of calling out other countries for exporting oil from Russia?

It is good that they are taking these steps. We will know who stands with India and who doesn't.
 
India invited by Germany for G7 summit in June


Germany has informally intimated New Delhi its intent to invite India for the G7 summit.

A formal invite is expected soon from Berlin to India. The summit is due to take place from June 26-28 at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps. Germany is the chair of the grouping for this year and holds the meeting amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It is the fourth time India has been consecutively invited to the G7 summit since 2019. France in 2019 had invited India for the G7 ‘Biarritz Summit’ as “a goodwill partner”.

In 2020, President Donald Trump had invited PM Modi to the G7 outreach summit at Camp David. The summit was to take place in June 2020 however due to the COVID-19 crisis it could not take place.

Last year the UK had invited India for the G7 summit, but PM Modi could not travel due to the second COVID-19 wave in the country. PM Modi participated in the summit virtually.

Meanwhile, the German government has dismissed reports of Berlin not keen to invite New Delhi for the summit due to its Russian policy amid the Ukraine war. It's believed that Germany is planning to not only invite India for the June summit but some other countries also.

India was first invited to the G7 outreach summit in 2003 when the then Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was invited by France. From 2005 to 2009, India has been annually invited to the G7 outreach summit with PM Manmohan Singh representing India.

Germany, this year's G7 host has had close ties with Delhi. EAM Jaishankar was in Munich in February this year for the security conference. During his visit, Jaishankar met his German counterpart.

PM Modi is expected to travel to the country in early May for the 6th Inter-governmental Consultations(IGC). The then German Chancellor Angela Merkel had visited India from October 31 - November 1, 2019 for consultations which takes place every two years alternately between the two countries.

This year's IGC is taking place after a gap of three years because of the pandemic. It will also be the first in-person meeting between PM Modi and the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The PM will also travel to Denmark for the India Nordic in-person summit.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wi...d-by-germany-for-g7-summit-in-june-470657/amp
 
NEW DELHI:
Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, India has received defense equipment for the training squadron of the Russia-made S-400 Triumf advanced surface-to-air missile defense system, local media reported on Friday.

In December, India announced that Russia had begun deliveries of the S-400 long-range defense systems to India.

Local news agency Asian News International (ANI) reported that the country received simulators and other equipment from Moscow.

The report said that despite the war in Ukraine, "defense supplies from Moscow are continuing." The latest supplies from Russia also included "overhauled fighter aircraft engines and spares for an aircraft fleet."

"It does not include missiles or launchers," the agency quoted defense sources as saying, adding that India also received the final parts of the S-400 system from Russia whose first squadron was "operational to take care of threats" from neighboring countries.

India, a long-time ally of Russia, has in recent times been growing closer to Washington. Since Russia launched a war on Ukraine in February, India has called for a peaceful solution but refrained from openly criticizing Moscow.

Specter of US sanctions

In 2018, India and Russia signed a $5.5 billion contract for the S-400 system, putting India at risk of US sanctions.

The US has long tried to deter countries from buying military equipment from Russia, threatening them with punitive measures under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Despite Washington's warnings, New Delhi moved forward with the purchase, arguing that it has strategic connections with both Russia and the US.

Turkiye, another country that has gone forward with its own S-400 purchase, has dismissed the US sanctions threat and said the missiles are a matter of national security.

US President Joe Biden's Coordinator for Sanctions Policy James O'Brien told lawmakers in the House of Representatives last week that the US does not want India to buy the S-400 system from Russia, according to media reports.

He also said Washington has to consider important geostrategic circumstances

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2353132/india-receives-russian-s-400-training-equipment-report
 
Absolutely shocking and annoying to see majority Indians on social media asking Ukraine to backdown and let Russia take over.
 
India restarts tea, rice, other exports to Russia

India's exports to Russia have resumed with containers carrying goods including tea, rice, fruits, coffee, marine products and confectionery shipping out last week, said people with knowledge of the matter. Banks led by Russia's largest lender, Sberbank, are facilitating settlement of bilateral trade moving largely through ports in Georgia.

"The transactions are happening through Sberbank," said Ajay Sahai, director general and CEO, Federation of Indian Export Organisations.

Immediate Demand for Food

Exports had almost stalled amid the uncertainty that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The trade is being settled through the rupee-rouble route to the extent possible, while some banks are providing remittances in euros, said a person aware of the details. Officials of both countries have held talks relating to trade and payments.

"We have just shipped 60 containers of non-basmati rice to Russia, each weighing 22,000 kg," said Ashwin Shah, director at Shah Nanji Nagji Exports, a leading exporter of rice to Russia. "Payment for our rice is being handled by Russia-based Alfa Bank. Bank of Maharashtra is our Indian bank."

Sberbank and Alfa Bank did not respond to queries.

The immediate demand is for food as Russian stores are emptying out because of sanctions imposed on the country and the ban on supplies by the European Union. "Tea exports to Russia have begun and we have just shipped five containers to Russia," said Mohit Agarwal, director of Asian Tea, a leading exporter.

Russia is a major market for Indian tea, importing 43-45 million kg annually. More items will shortly be added for exports to Russia, industry sources said

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-restarts-tea-rice-other-exports-to-russia/articleshow/90924207.cms
 
India, Russia in talks over 20 million barrels of crude at discount
MEA has consistently stated that New Delhi’s objective is to stabilise its economic engagement with Russia even as there is a possibility that the Western sanctions against Russia might impact India

New Delhi, April 30

India and Russia are engaged in talks over alternative payment mechanisms even as both sides are negotiating for about 20 million barrels of crude from Rosneft at heavily discounted prices.

Having rebuffed European preaching over Ukraine at the Raisina Dialogue and with new statistics showing that sales of Russian crude to the US and Europe were over $70 billion, India is confident of charting its own path. The MEA has consistently stated that New Delhi’s objective is to stabilise its economic engagement with Russia even as there is a possibility that the Western sanctions against Russia might impact India. “Our objective has been to see how (we) can stabilise the economic transactions or economic engagement that we are doing with Russia in the current context,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has said.

“There is a possibility that these sanctions might impact us and that is why we are having inter-ministerial discussions and other conversations to see how we can keep our economic interactions with Russia stabilised and also to see how we can ensure our interests are not affected,” he added.

India’s strategy appears to be two-pronged. One, it is in the market along with China and several other nations to buy crude oil at heavily discounted prices from Rosneft, which incidentally operates the second biggest private refinery in India. Second, India is also keen to fill the vacuum in the merchandise sector after the withdrawal of European companies from the market and is looking at a boost of $2 billion. Due to the ongoing trade with European countries and even the US, Rosneft has several non-sanctioned intermediaries and trading companies which are in talks with Indian companies.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/n...ver-20-mn-barrels-of-crude-at-discount-390744
 
Modi seeks 'talks' to stop Ukraine war

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for dialogue to end the war in Ukraine at the start of a European tour on Monday but steered clear of condemning Russia over the invasion.

India, which imports much of its military hardware from Russia, has long walked a diplomatic tightrope between the West and Moscow, and has called only for an immediate end to hostilities.

“We have insisted on a ceasefire and called for talks as the only way to resolve dispute since the start of the Ukraine crisis,” Modi told reporters after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

“We believe that there won't be any winners in this war and everyone will lose, which is why we are in favour of peace,” he said.

Besides the humanitarian impact on Ukrainians, pressure on oil prices and global food supplies is also “putting a burden on every family in the world,” he said.

Germany's Scholz stressed that the war in Ukraine threatened the “rule-based global order”.

“Russia has jeopardised the fundamental principles of international law with its attack on Ukraine,” he said.

“The war and the brutal assault on civilians in Ukraine show the unchecked manner in which Russia is violating the principles of the UN Charter,” Scholz added, repeating his call for President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops.

Rising Indian oil imports
Scholz said he and Modi agreed that the “inviolability of borders” and “sovereignty of nations” must not be called into question.

“We thoroughly discussed that we want to achieve a better future — not by fighting wars against each other but by making economic development possible together,” he said.

The two governments later signed a joint declaration expressing “strong support” for upcoming talks between the European Union and India on a free trade agreement.

Scholz also confirmed he had invited Modi as a special guest to a Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit next month, seen as part of an effort to forge a broader alliance against Russia.

Bloomberg News had reported on Sunday citing unnamed sources that Scholz was concerned over Modi's refusal to condemn Russia and India's increased fossil fuel imports from there, and was undecided on the invite until weeks ago.

India has significantly increased imports of Russian oil from March onwards, but has bristled at criticism of the move, saying Europe's consumption of Russian energy commodities remains far higher.

Modi was holding talks in Berlin before heading to Copenhagen to join the prime ministers of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway at a two-day India-Nordic Summit from May 3.

He will then make a brief stopover in France to see President Emmanuel Macron to “share assessments on various regional and global issues and will take stock of ongoing bilateral cooperation”, an Indian government statement said.

'Huge potential'
In a media briefing on Sunday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said European countries “not only understand but also have deep appreciation” of India's position on the conflict.

The principal focus of the visits and discussions is to strengthen bilateral partnership across a range of areas including trade, energy and sustainable development, Kwatra said.

With Russia reeling under Western sanctions, some 50 Indian food, ceramics and chemicals exporters will head to Moscow later this month after enquiries from Russian firms, the Times of India newspaper reported on Monday.

“Trade and financial sanctions imposed on Russia... have opened up numerous avenues for Indian businesses across various sectors,” the newspaper quoted Vivek Agarwal from lobby group the Trade Promotion Council of India, which is organising the trip, as saying.

“Indian companies too are excited to tap the huge potential available for Indian products in Russia,” he told the newspaper.

The daily quoted unnamed government officials as suggesting that shipments would only start once the war in Ukraine ends.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1687926/modi-seeks-talks-to-stop-ukraine-war
 
United Nations: India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti has told the Ambassador of the Netherlands to the UK that "Kindly don't patronise us," New Delhi "knows what to do" when the Dutch envoy said India should not have abstained in the UN General Assembly on Ukraine.

On February 24, Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

Since January this year, India has abstained on procedural votes and draft resolutions in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council that deplored Russian aggression against Ukraine.

"Kindly don't patronise us, Ambassador. We know what to do," Mr Tirumurti said in response to a tweet by Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Karel van Oosterom.

In the tweet, the Dutch envoy said to Mr Tirumurti "You should not have abstained in the GA. Respect the UN Charter."

Mr Tirumurti delivered a statement at the UN Security Council meeting Wednesday on Ukraine. He posted the full text of his statement on Twitter saying "At the UN Security Council meeting on #Ukraine this afternoon, I made the following statement" to which van Oosterom made the comment about India abstaining in the General Assembly.

In April, India abstained in the UN General Assembly on a vote moved by the US to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over allegations that Russian soldiers killed civilians while retreating from towns near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

In March, India abstained from the UN General Assembly on a resolution by Ukraine and its allies on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, saying the focus should be on cessation of hostilities and on urgent humanitarian assistance and the draft did not fully reflect New Delhi's expected to focus on these challenges.

On March 2, the General Assembly had voted to reaffirm its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and deplored in the strongest terms Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

India, along with 34 other nations had abstained from the resolution, which was adopted with 141 votes in favour and five Member States voting against.

NDTV
 
Stuttgart, Germany: Agriculture ministers from the Group of Seven industrialised nations on Saturday condemned India's decision to ban unapproved wheat exports after the country was hit by a punishing heatwave.

"If everyone starts to impose export restrictions or to close markets, that would worsen the crisis," German agriculture minister Cem Ozdemir said at a press conference in Stuttgart.

India on Saturday banned wheat exports without prior government approval after recent scorching temperatures hit production, in a blow to countries affected by supply shortages because of the war in Ukraine.

India, the world's second-largest wheat producer, said that factors including lower wheat production and sharply higher global prices because of the war meant that it was now worried about its own "food security".

All export deals agreed before the directive issued on Friday could still be honoured, but all future shipments needed to have government approval.

However, exports could also take place if New Delhi approved a request by other governments "to meet their food security needs."

The decision came as global agricultural markets were under severe stress due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The traditional bread basket has seen shipments disrupted, with the Ukrainian agriculture minister travelling to Stuttgart for discussions with G7 colleagues on getting its produce out.

Some "20 million tonnes" of wheat were sitting in Ukrainian silos and "urgently" needed to be exported, Ozdemir said.

Before the invasion, Ukraine exported 4.5 million tonnes of agricultural produce per month through its ports - 12 percent of the planet's wheat, 15 percent of its corn and half of its sunflower oil.

But with the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and others cut off from the world by Russian warships, the supply can only travel on congested land routes that are much less efficient.

At this critical juncture, ministers of the G7 industrialised nations urged countries around the world not to take restrictive action that could pile further stress on the produce markets.

They "spoke out against export stops and call as well for markets to be kept open", said Ozdemir, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the group.

"We call on India to assume its responsibility as a G20 member," Ozdemir added.

The agriculture ministers would also "recommend" the topic be addressed at the G7 summit in Germany in June, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend.

NDTV
 
Stuttgart, Germany: Agriculture ministers from the Group of Seven industrialised nations on Saturday condemned India's decision to ban unapproved wheat exports after the country was hit by a punishing heatwave.

"If everyone starts to impose export restrictions or to close markets, that would worsen the crisis," German agriculture minister Cem Ozdemir said at a press conference in Stuttgart.

India on Saturday banned wheat exports without prior government approval after recent scorching temperatures hit production, in a blow to countries affected by supply shortages because of the war in Ukraine.

India, the world's second-largest wheat producer, said that factors including lower wheat production and sharply higher global prices because of the war meant that it was now worried about its own "food security".

All export deals agreed before the directive issued on Friday could still be honoured, but all future shipments needed to have government approval.

However, exports could also take place if New Delhi approved a request by other governments "to meet their food security needs."

The decision came as global agricultural markets were under severe stress due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The traditional bread basket has seen shipments disrupted, with the Ukrainian agriculture minister travelling to Stuttgart for discussions with G7 colleagues on getting its produce out.

Some "20 million tonnes" of wheat were sitting in Ukrainian silos and "urgently" needed to be exported, Ozdemir said.

Before the invasion, Ukraine exported 4.5 million tonnes of agricultural produce per month through its ports - 12 percent of the planet's wheat, 15 percent of its corn and half of its sunflower oil.

But with the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and others cut off from the world by Russian warships, the supply can only travel on congested land routes that are much less efficient.

At this critical juncture, ministers of the G7 industrialised nations urged countries around the world not to take restrictive action that could pile further stress on the produce markets.

They "spoke out against export stops and call as well for markets to be kept open", said Ozdemir, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the group.

"We call on India to assume its responsibility as a G20 member," Ozdemir added.

The agriculture ministers would also "recommend" the topic be addressed at the G7 summit in Germany in June, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend.

NDTV

The hypocritical advises to India by Europeans regarding Oil imports coming to bite.
 
New Delhi, India – On the evening of May 13, India announced a sudden ban on exports of wheat, catching nearly all buyers and sellers of the grain unprepared.

One notable exception was billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, which has since entered the business of trading grain and quickly became the country’s second-largest wheat exporter in the period after the ban.

That Friday in May, India’s commerce ministry ruled that only those exporters who had a bank guarantee – an irrevocable letter of credit (LC) – issued on or before that date, would be allowed to export wheat.

The unusual condition caught the industry off guard as most Indian exporters typically don’t use an LC, several traders Al Jazeera spoke to said.

One of the only firms that use LCs as part of normal business practice is India’s largest wheat exporter, ITC Ltd. But even ITC was caught on the back foot because it had yet to get LCs for future shipments, a person familiar with the development who is not authorised to speak to the media told Al Jazeera.

On May 13, however, there was another company that had an LC ready – Reliance Retail, which had at least one LC for $85m issued on May 12 for it to buy about 250,000 metric tonnes of wheat. Al Jazeera has seen a soft copy of the LC.

With that bank guarantee in hand, Reliance entered the grain trading business for the first time.

Policy flip-flops

The move to staunch wheat exports came on the back of soaring global prices which put “at risk” India’s “food security”, the government said in its notification. But the policy flip-flop came barely a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to use Indian stocks to feed the world as the Ukraine crisis shook food supplies.

The decision left both farmers and small traders saddled with huge losses. Small traders had been purchasing wheat at huge premiums, hoping to sell it at a profit in the international markets, and farmers were holding on to some of their crop, thinking prices would rise further.

But with one stroke, those plans were shattered as practically all the large exporters, including ITC and Reliance, triggered the “force majeure” clause in their contracts and refused to take wheat at previously agreed-upon prices, several traders told Al Jazeera.

Sandeep Bansal, a miller in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, is one of the many impacted. On the Monday after the Friday ban, he received an email from his buyer ITC telling him to stop all deliveries to the company “with immediate effect”. Soon after, it cancelled the orders, citing “force majeure”. Al Jazeera has seen the emails.

“Traders had to accept this,” he said, adding, “Wheat is a cash crop – for farmer and for the trader. You sell it and get the payment. Traders are not in a position to hold for long, especially at negative sentiment.”

Some traders had filed for LCs on May 13, and they pleaded with the government to include them in those allowed to export, but the government rejected the pleas, insisting that only existing LCs counted.

A handful of those affected exporters had had agreements to sell wheat to the United Arab Emirates and applied to Emirati banks for their LCs on May 13. But that was the day the UAE’s long-ailing ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan died and the country announced a three-day suspension of work, including in the private sector.

As a result, the LC requests only came through the following week and were rejected by the Indian government.

“The government of UAE wrote to the Indian government saying this happened, but it had no bearing,” one trader, who declined to be named because he didn’t want to put himself into the crosshairs of government scrutiny, told Al Jazeera.

India restarted its exports around May 22, allowing only companies with LCs dated May 13 or earlier to ship wheat.

Of the 2.1 million tonnes of wheat that has sailed or is in the process of being shipped since, about 334,000 metric tonnes belongs to Reliance, second after ITC’s 727,733 metric tonnes, according to port data as of August 16.

Reliance and ITC did not respond to requests for comment.

Reliance’s growing impact

Reliance appears to have been preparing for agricultural exports since last year. The first hint was a stock exchange filing last October where it said it had newly incorporated wholly-owned subsidiary Reliance International Limited in Abu Dhabi to undertake activities relating to, among others, trading crude oil and agricultural commodities.

Mukesh Ambani listening at Davos in 2017
The entry of a giant firm like Reliance, which is helmed by Mukesh Ambani (pictured), into the business of trading grain will have a big impact on the domestic trade [File: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg]
The newly incorporated unit is expected to supply both the company’s exports and its domestic business, industry watchers say.

The wheat export restrictions have given Reliance an opportunity to impact the domestic market as well, where it buys vast quantities of grain for its private-label products sold across its chain of more than 15,000 Reliance Retail shops.

Last week, Reliance Retail turned out to be the highest bidder to purchase wheat stocks from the states of Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. As per that tender, the governments were looking to sell 100,000 tonnes of wheat, with a minimum bid of 5,000 tonnes. In the past, Reliance has bought smaller quantities, industry players say. (The Madhya Pradesh tender has since been reissued as the original bids were found to be too low.)

The entry of a large firm like Reliance could impact the trade in other ways, experts say. Currently, India’s wheat supply chain is disorganised and consists of many small traders who collectively play a significant role. These players, by the nature of their size, usually have limited storage capacity, meaning they buy small lots of the harvest and rarely offer top dollar.

“A new big player could capture this portion as it would be able to attract farmers with better prices and also invest in logistics, including better storage facilities,” causing a disruption in how the market functions, says Sampad Nandy, global agriculture editor at S&P Global Commodity Insights.

While that day is still a long way away, there has been a more immediate impact of the export ban, other than allowing Reliance to take its first steps in the grain market.

Because of the farmers, traders and stockists who held on to their wheat before the export ban, expecting to sell at high prices internationally, domestic prices have risen on the back of a shortage in the market. In August, they were up nearly 25 percent month-on-month and are practically back to the same levels as before the ban, which caused a short drop in price, says Nandy.

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/8/30/reliance-emerges-as-a-winner-after-indias-wheat-ban
 
Modi springs surprise by assailing Putin

SAMARKAND: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that now was not the time for war, directly assailing the Kremlin chief in public over the nearly seven-month-long conflict in Ukraine.

Putin has repeatedly said Russia is not isolated because it can look eastwards to major Asian powers such as China and India.

But at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Orga*nisation (SCO), concerns spilled out into the open.

“I know that today’s era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this,” Modi told Putin at a televised meeting in Samarkand.

As Modi made the remark, Russia’s paramount leader since 1999 pursed his lips, glanced at Modi and then looked down before touching the hair on the back of his head.

Putin told Modi that he understood the Indian leader had concerns about Ukraine, but that Moscow was doing everything it could to end the conflict.

“I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, the concerns that you constantly express,” Putin said. “We will do everything to stop this as soon as possible.”

He said Ukraine had rejected negotiations. Ukraine has said it will fight until it drives all Russian troops from its land. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he will never accept a “peace” that allows Russia to keep Ukrainian land.

India has become Russia’s No. 2 oil buyer after China as others have cut purchases following the invasion.

DAWN
 
India declines to disclose upcoming UN vote on Ukraine

SYDNEY: India does not want to say in advance how it will vote at the United Nations General Assembly on a likely draft resolution condemning Russia's proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine, foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.

"As a matter of prudence and policy, we don't predict our votes in advance," Jaishankar said during a joint media briefing along with Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong in Canberra.

The General Assembly is due to vote on the draft resolution on Tuesday or Wednesday, diplomats said.

Russia had vetoed a UN Security Council resolution introduced by the United States and Albania late last month condemning the proclaimed annexation, with China, Gabon, India and Brazil abstaining.

Citing the "totality of the evolving situation", India abstained on a UN Security Council resolution, vetoed by Russia, that would have condemned Moscow's “illegal referenda” and declared its annexation of four Ukrainian territories as invalid.

India has previously abstained on two occasions in the Security Council and once in the UN General Assembly on resolutions on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Unlike many other leading Western powers, India has not yet criticised Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and it abstained from the votes at the UN platforms in condemning the Russian aggression.

Times of India
 
Ahead Of S Jaishankar Visit, Moscow Says Russia And India Stand For...

New Delhi: Russia and India stand for the formation of a "more just" and "polycentric" world order and both sides demonstrated the proximity of positions on the most pressing issues, Moscow said on Monday, a day ahead of talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar begins a two-day visit to Russia this evening amid growing global concerns over increasing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

In a statement, the Russian foreign ministry said Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in their talks, will focus on trade and investment, use of national currencies for trade, "promising projects" in the energy sector and the formation of a security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Russia and India stand for the active formation of a more just and equal polycentric world order, and proceed from the inadmissibility of promoting the imperialist diktat on the global arena," it said.

"Both countries demonstrate the proximity of positions on the most pressing issues and stand for the adherence to the universally recognised norms of international law, enshrined in the UN Charter," the ministry said.

It further added: "We are aimed at promoting a unifying agenda and building a constructive dialogue in the field of interstate relations." The Russian foreign ministry said Jaishankar and Lavrov will also discuss ways to further "advance joint work" in the key areas and compare notes on upcoming contacts.

"The talks will focus on trade and investments, transport and logistics, the use of national currencies in mutual settlements, as well as promising projects in the energy sector, especially in the Arctic shelf and the Russian Far East," it said.

The ministry said the two ministers will exchange assessments of the current international issues with an emphasis on interaction within the UN, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), G20 and the Russia-India-China trilateral.

"The ministers will also discuss India's presidency in the SCO, efforts to fight terrorism, as well as a number of the regional issues, including the formation of a security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, the situation around the Iranian nuclear problem, state of affairs in Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine," it said.

Announcing Jaishankar's visit to Moscow last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said issues pertaining to bilateral economic cooperation in various domains will be discussed.

Jaishankar will also hold talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov.

In the last few months, India has increased the import of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet over it by several Western powers.

Jaishankar and Lavrov have already met four times after the Ukraine conflict began in February.

Since the Ukraine conflict began, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a number of times.

In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said that there can be "no military solution" and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts.

At a bilateral meeting with Putin in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 16, Modi told him that "today's era is not of war".

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

NDTV
 
<b>India to continue buying oil from Russia as ties deepen</b>

<I>India’s foreign minister says buying oil from its ‘steady and time-tested partner’ is economically advantageous.</I>

India will continue buying Russian oil as it is advantageous for the country, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has said during his first visit to Russia since it invaded Ukraine, in a move counter to Western efforts to cripple Russia’s economy with sanctions.

Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday accompanied by senior officials in charge of agriculture, petroleum and natural gas, ports and shipping, finance, chemicals and fertiliser, and trade – which he said showed the importance of ties with Russia.

“Russia has been a steady and time-tested partner. Any objective evaluation of our relationship over many decades would confirm that it has actually served both our countries very, very well,” Jaishankar said in a joint news conference.

“As the world’s third-largest consumer of oil and gas, a consumer where the levels of income are not very high, it is our fundamental obligation to ensure that the Indian consumer has the best possible access on the most advantageous terms to international markets,” he said.

“We have seen that the India-Russia relationship has worked to advantage. If it works to my advantage, I would like to keep that going,” the Indian foreign minister added.

India, which has not explicitly condemned what Russia calls its “special military operation in Ukraine”, has emerged as Russia’s largest oil customer after China following a boycott by Western buyers.

Jaishankar’s announcement came ahead of United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to New Delhi later this week, when she is expected to discuss a Group of Seven (G7) plan to cap the price of Russian oil with Indian officials.

US officials and G7 countries have been in intense negotiations in recent weeks over the unprecedented plan to put a price cap on sea-borne oil shipments, which is scheduled to take effect on December 5 to ensure European Union and US sanctions do not throttle the global oil market.

Both New Delhi and Beijing have so far refused to join Western sanctions against Russia.

Lavrov praised the position of Russia’s “Indian friends” on Ukraine and accused Western countries of trying to consolidate a “dominant role in world affairs” and prevent “the democratisation of international relations”.

Russia and India are also considering joint production of modern defence equipment, the foreign minister was quoted by TASS news agency as saying. Last year, the two countries inked a $677m deal to produce AK-203 assault rifles in India as part of New Delhi’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing. India is one of the world’s largest buyers of defence equipment.

Moscow has been New Delhi’s biggest supplier of military equipment for decades. India imported Russian defence equipment worth more than $20bn between 2011 and 2021.

According to Lavrov, Russia and India also want to cooperate more closely in the fields of nuclear energy and space travel.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/8/india-to-continue-buying-oil-from-russia-as-ties-deepen
 
India saved it's poor people by buying Russian oil, unlike the west it would had been absolute disaster in poor remote parts of the country due to inflation.
 
India asked by sanctions-hit Russia for parts for key sectors

NEW DELHI, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Moscow has sent India a list of more than 500 products for potential delivery including parts for cars, aircraft and trains, four sources familiar with the matter said, as sanctions squeeze Russia's ability to keep vital industries running.

The list, a version of which has been seen by Reuters in New Delhi, is provisional and it is unclear how many of the items will eventually be exported and in what quantity, but an Indian government source said the request was unusual in its scope.

India is keen to boost trade in this way, said the source, as it tries to narrow a ballooning trade deficit with Russia. Some companies have expressed concern, however, about potentially falling foul of Western sanctions.

An industry source in Moscow, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade asked large companies to supply lists of raw materials and equipment they needed.

The source added that further discussion would be needed to agree specifications and volumes and that the outreach was not limited to India.

Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Indian foreign and commerce ministries and the prime minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Russia's requests were made weeks ahead of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's visit to Moscow starting Nov. 7, two of the Indian sources said. It was not immediately clear what was conveyed by New Delhi to Russia during the visit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has not joined Western countries in openly criticising Moscow for the war in Ukraine, and has sharply increased purchases of Russian oil that have cushioned it from some of the impact of sanctions.

During the Moscow visit, Jaishankar said India needed to boost exports to Russia to balance bilateral trade that is now tilted towards Russia.

He was accompanied on the visit by senior officials in charge of agriculture, petroleum and natural gas, ports and shipping, finance, chemicals and fertiliser, and trade - which he said showed the importance of ties with Russia.

RUSSIA'S STRUGGLES

Western sanctions have crippled supplies of some crucial products in Russia.

Airlines are experiencing an acute shortage of parts because almost all planes are foreign-made. Car parts are also in demand, with global automakers having left the market.

A source in Russia's car sales industry said the trade ministry had sent a list of car parts needed to corresponding ministries and state agencies in other countries, including India.

The list of items from Russia, which runs to nearly 14 pages, includes car engine parts like pistons, oil pumps and ignition coils. There is also demand for bumpers, seatbelts and infotainment systems.

For aircraft and helicopters, Russia requested 41 items including landing gear components, fuel systems, communication systems and fire extinguishing systems, life jackets and aviation tyres.

Also on the list were raw materials to produce paper, paper bags and consumer packaging and materials and equipment to produce textiles including yarns and dyes, according to the document reviewed by Reuters.

Russian metals producers like nickel and palladium giant Nornickel (GMKN.MM) have said Western sanctions and self-sanctioning by some suppliers have made it difficult for industrial companies to obtain imported equipment, spare parts, materials and technologies in 2022, posing a challenge to their development programmes. read more

The list includes nearly 200 metallurgy items.

Russia has been India's largest supplier of military equipment for decades and it is the fourth-biggest market for Indian pharmaceutical products.

But with purchases of Russian oil soaring and coal and fertiliser shipments also strong, India is looking for ways to rebalance trade, the first Indian government source said.

Indian imports from Russia have grown nearly five times to $29 billion between Feb. 24 and Nov. 20 compared with $6 billion in the same period a year ago. Exports, meanwhile, have fallen to $1.9 billion from $2.4 billion, the source said.

India is hoping to boost its exports to nearly $10 billion over coming months with Russia's list of requests, according to the government source.

But some Indian companies are reluctant to export to Russia over fears of being sanctioned by the West, the lack of clarity over payments and challenges to securing insurance.

"There is a hesitancy among exporters ... particularly on sanctioned items," said Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), a body supported by India's commerce ministry.

Sahai, who is aware of Russia's request, said even small- and medium-sized exporters who could meet some of the requests and had previously exported to Iran after Western sanctions, were not enthusiastic.

Large Indian lenders are also reluctant to process direct rupee trade transactions with Russia, months after the mechanism was put in place, for fear of being sanctioned.

Reuters
 
Gave List Of Products To Moscow For Access To Russian Market: S Jaishankar

New Delhi: India gave a list of Indian products to Moscow for access to Russian markets, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Monday, as India seeks to narrow a growing trade deficit with Russia at a time when Moscow faces acute shortages of some crucial materials following Western sanctions.

Reuters reported last week that Moscow had sent India a list of more than 500 products for potential delivery, including parts for cars, aircraft and trains, as sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine squeeze its ability to keep vital industries running.

Russia has been India's largest supplier of military equipment for decades and it is the fourth-biggest market for Indian pharmaceuticals. But with India's purchases of Russian oil soaring and coal and fertiliser shipments also strong, the South Asian nation is looking for ways to rebalance trade.

"We have given Russians a set of products which we believe we are very competitive in and which we feel should be getting access to the Russian market," Mr Jaishankar told reporters in a briefing with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, who is on a visit to India.

The minister added that discussions on expanding trade have been going on for some time, and even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

"We will see where there is a demand and supply and there is a fit. I think a large part of it would be determined by the market," Mr Jaishankar added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has not joined Western countries in openly criticising Moscow for the war in Ukraine, and has sharply increased purchases of Russian oil that have cushioned Russia from some of the impact of sanctions.

During a visit to Moscow in November, S Jaishankar said India needed to boost exports to Russia to balance bilateral trade that is now tilted towards Russia.

NDTV
 
Russia Plans To Import Goods From India, Commerce Ministry Shares List

The commerce ministry has shared with exporters a list of hundreds of goods such as auto parts and textile that Russia has provided to India for imports, an official said.
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Russia, on which sanctions have been imposed by western countries due to its invasion of Ukraine, has shared a list of hundreds of items from sectors including pharmaceuticals, textiles, auto components, and chemicals.

"Russia wants to import these goods from India. The list has been shared by the ministry with the concerned export promotion councils and exporters to look into whether they can ship those products to Russia," the official said.

According to industry experts, it would not be easy for Indian exporters to ship these goods to Russia as they are facing problems with regard to availability of containers for Russia.

"Indian exporters may be in a position to supply these materials but currently the availability of ships and containers for Russia is quite depleted. There are very limited agencies which are taking orders for Russia, so Indian exporters are not in a position to supply even if they have materials," one of the experts said.

The apparel industry has shown interest in shipping the goods but the auto industry looks apprehensive. Some exporters have reverted to the Indian embassy in Moscow about the list.

Commenting on the issue, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai said Russian buyers are enquiring about a wide range of products from India.

"Indian exporters are evaluating the proposal as they have to be careful with the sanctions, with their diversified exports basket covering the US and the European Union. With payment mechanisms all set to take off in a couple of days and logistics options opening up, we are hopeful that shipments will start under this mechanism from the current month," Sahai said.

The list of goods includes axles, crankshafts, fasteners, pistons, power steering pump drive shafts, oil pumps, valve springs, turbochargers, oil filters, spark plugs, ignition coils, seat belts, bumpers, welding materials, bearings, breaks, sterilization equipment, number of active pharma ingredients (APIs), and fruit and vegetable concentrates.

Russia has become a major oil supplier to India. India's appetite for Russian oil swelled ever since it started trading on discount as the West shunned it to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has emerged as India's fifth largest trading partner during April-September this fiscal year with a bilateral trade of USD 22.7 billion during the six-month period.

Exports stood at USD 1.3 billion, while imports aggregated at USD 21.4 billion in the same period.

In 2021-22, Russia was 25th largest trading partner of India with a bilateral trade of USD 13.12 billion. Exports stood at USD 3.25 billion, while imports aggregated at USD 9.9 billion in the same period.

NDTV
 
Russia, India closer to joint military equipment production: Russian FM

Russia and India have made tangible progress in talks on plans to jointly produce military equipment, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, after talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Moscow.

Speaking at a news conference, Lavrov said such cooperation was of a strategic nature and was in both countries’ interests and would help ensure security on the Eurasian continent.

He said Moscow respected India’s desire to diversify its military hardware suppliers and was ready too to support New Delhi’s desire to manufacture things needed by India in India.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet Jaishankar later on Wednesday.

Jaishankar said he expected Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet next year.

Jaishankar said he and Lavrov had discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as bilateral trade and investment.

India has become one of Russia’s core economic partners since the West in 2022 imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Russia has diverted much of its oil exports to India and stepped up diplomacy within the BRICS group of nations, a grouping of which both countries are founding members.

According to Jaishankar, Indian-Russian trade is expected to top $50 billion this year.

He said New Delhi was keen to sign a bilateral investment treaty with Russia as well as a free trade agreement with the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union.

Source : Dawn News
 

PM Modi to seek early discharge of Indians from Russian army in Moscow talks​


The early discharge sought by India of its nationals who were misled” into serving in the Russian army is expected to be discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow next week, his foreign secretary said on Friday.

Several cases of Indians who were lured to Russia with the promise of lucrative jobs or education and ended up fighting against Ukraine have emerged over the last few months, and Indian police in May arrested four people linked to a human trafficking network behind the practice.

Moscow has so far not responded to repeated requests from Reuters for comment.

At least four Indian nationals have been killed in the war so far, prompting Modi’s government to call for an immediate stop to such recruitment and quick release of Indians fighting in the army.

India estimates anywhere between 30 and 40 of its citizens could be already serving, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told a media briefing on Friday.

“All efforts have been made that Indian nationals return as soon as possible,” he said, adding that 10 Indians have already been brought back.

Thousands of people have died on both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 but India, which has enjoyed a close relationship with Moscow for decades, has refused to condemn Russia for the war, instead calling for an end to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Other South Asian nations have also warned their citizens against being lured into joining the Russian army.

Sri Lanka has tightened controls to stop its citizens being duped, with the government saying dozens who want to return home are already fighting in the war.

Nepal, similarly, said in May that several of its citizens have illegally been recruited to join the Russian army, with at least 200 estimated to be serving at the front and about 100 missing.

Modi will visit Russia on July 8 and 9 for talks with President Vladimir Putin, both countries said earlier this week.

 
Russia promises release of Indians fighting in its army

Russia has promised an early release of all Indian citizens fighting in its army, India’s foreign ministry has said.

The announcement came at the end of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow, during which he raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin.

Delhi has been seeking the release of Indians, who say they were lured to Russia on the promise of non-combat jobs in the army, but were later forced into active combat in Ukraine.

At least four Indians have been killed in the fighting.

On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a press briefing that Mr Modi had "strongly raised the issue of early discharge" of Indians who had been "misled into the service of the Russian army”.

“The Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian army,” he added.

Mr Kwatra said there were about 35-50 Indians in the Russian forces, of whom 10 had already been brought home. The two countries would now work to bring back the remaining men, he added.

Indians stuck in Russia said they were duped by agents with the lure of money and a Russian passport.

Most of these men were from poor families who were promised jobs, sometimes as "helpers" in the Russian army.

Families of the men had appealed to the Indian government for help in bringing them back home.

India's foreign ministry had called this a "matter of deep concern" and said it was "pressing very hard with the Russian authorities" to bring back its citizens.

Earlier this year, the ministry urged "all Indian nationals to exercise due caution and stay away from this conflict".

In March, Indian authorities said they busted a network of agents sending people to fight for Russia under the pretext of giving them jobs.

Mr Modi took up the issue with Mr Putin on Tuesday during his two-day visit to Russia, his first since 2019.

A joint release by India and Russia after their talks said the two sides had set out nine key areas for closer co-operation, including nuclear energy and medicine.

The leaders also said they would aim to boost bilateral trade by more than half to hit $100bn (about £78bn) by 2030.

BBC
 
Good stay out of it and buy cheap oil. We have enough people who we need to support.

Modi's taking quite a political risk with this visit. We've become really close to the West over the last few years and this visit in the middle of an escalation of the war (Russia hitting more civilian targets) has potential for friction. I hope he extracts a big chunk of flesh in return for this

- Resuming rupee payments for the massive amount of oil we're buying from Russia. We paid a bit initially but they accumulated too much Indian Rupees and we had to stop. If we restart, they'll be forced to buy more from India
- Accelerating defense production in India. We're still dependant on them for a lot of parts, ammo etc. They have enough incentive to produce in India because they're using all their production internally
- Stopping luring idiots from India into the war with promises of jobs
 
Modi's taking quite a political risk with this visit. We've become really close to the West over the last few years and this visit in the middle of an escalation of the war (Russia hitting more civilian targets) has potential for friction. I hope he extracts a big chunk of flesh in return for this

- Resuming rupee payments for the massive amount of oil we're buying from Russia. We paid a bit initially but they accumulated too much Indian Rupees and we had to stop. If we restart, they'll be forced to buy more from India
- Accelerating defense production in India. We're still dependant on them for a lot of parts, ammo etc. They have enough incentive to produce in India because they're using all their production internally
- Stopping luring idiots from India into the war with promises of jobs

Buy what though? What do we sell? We are a net exporter of stuff that Russia already has in abundance: wheat, iron, steel etc.

And Russia has never been a major consumer of IT and Pharma either.
 
Buy what though? What do we sell? We are a net exporter of stuff that Russia already has in abundance: wheat, iron, steel etc.

And Russia has never been a major consumer of IT and Pharma either.
Modi shouldn't care. Ask them to build u Rupee reserves. They can sell/donate them to countries that want to buy Indian stuff. Maybe African countries that want Pharma etc.

Or hold on to them. Multiple options

- Use it to invest in India. Build a few factories for stuff they need. It's not like have access to Dollars anyway and Yuan are very tough to get hold of
- We're making more and more stuff - iPhones, Chips etc. They'll be able to find something to buy in a couple of years.
- Buy Indian government debt - we've opened up the Indian Government debt trade in rupees and interest rates are still decent
 
India stands ready to give all possible support to restoring peace to war-torn Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday in Vienna after a Kremlin visit criticized by Kyiv

Modi arrived in Vienna late Tuesday after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where the Indian leader urged “peace through dialogue,” saying that “war cannot solve problems.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized a photo of Modi hugging Putin during the visit, saying it was “a devastating blow to peace.”

Modi’s trip to Russia came as tensions flared in Europe, following a deadly Russian missile barrage in Ukraine that Kyiv said hit a children’s hospital in the capital.

“This is not an age of war. Problems cannot be solved on the battlefield,” Modi told reporters in Vienna alongside Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

Modi said India and Austria stand “ready to provide all possible support” to “rapidly restore peace and stability.” On Ukraine, Nehammer said both countries shared the “common goal” to achieve a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace, in accordance with the UN Charter,” underlining India’s crucial role as the world’s largest democracy.

According to Nehammer, neutral Austria was ready to serve as a “venue for dialogue” for “future peace summits,” adding that his cabinet was “in constant contact with the EU.”

During his visit, Modi also recalled that the Congress of Vienna in the 19th century had laid the foundations for peace and stability in this part of the world.

The state visit to Austria coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and is the first by an Indian head of government since Indira Gandhi in 1983.

Source: Arab News
 
Modi's taking quite a political risk with this visit. We've become really close to the West over the last few years and this visit in the middle of an escalation of the war (Russia hitting more civilian targets) has potential for friction. I hope he extracts a big chunk of flesh in return for this

- Resuming rupee payments for the massive amount of oil we're buying from Russia. We paid a bit initially but they accumulated too much Indian Rupees and we had to stop. If we restart, they'll be forced to buy more from India
- Accelerating defense production in India. We're still dependant on them for a lot of parts, ammo etc. They have enough incentive to produce in India because they're using all their production internally
- Stopping luring idiots from India into the war with promises of jobs
Risk is ok, West shows where it stands when they keep on yapping about India.

Better to work on ourselves than ever become a slave to West.

India finally is doing well even IT wise, the ML AI pickup is remarkable.
Indians will be lured into war though, happens even in economically strong countries like US.
 
Risk is ok, West shows where it stands when they keep on yapping about India.

Better to work on ourselves than ever become a slave to West.

India finally is doing well even IT wise, the ML AI pickup is remarkable.
Indians will be lured into war though, happens even in economically strong countries like US.

The western interference in our politics hasn't been taken very kindly by BJP and its allies.

It has further solidified the opinion that West cannot be trusted.

Its time West realises that it cannot impose its political and social policies on 1.5bn people.

Any attempt to do so will be counterproductive.
 
Risk is ok, West shows where it stands when they keep on yapping about India.

Better to work on ourselves than ever become a slave to West.

India finally is doing well even IT wise, the ML AI pickup is remarkable.
Indians will be lured into war though, happens even in economically strong countries like US.
Of course risks is okay. All foreign policy to a certain extent is about taking calculated risks. We don't want to upset the US (our biggest export market for goods and services) to the extent of tariffs but we want to keep Russia on our good side for cheap(ish) oil and defense supplies. It's always a delicate balance and to be honest, the foreign policy establishment has done a decent job so far. The visit was well timed...not like that idiot Imran Khan who went rushing off to Russia within a few days of open hostilities.

Much as I despise Putin, it shouldn't matter in foreign policy and a developing nation needs to look to it's own interests. I was just saying I hope we extract a solid return for this risk. We've done Putin a big favour in the face of international isolation. The only other major leader to visit Russia was Xi. Otherwise, he's been reduced to inviting the likes of Kanye.
 
Keeping in mind the Soviet Union played a crucial part in neutralising US, UK in 1971 war against Pakistan allowing Bharat the freedom to split Pakistan into two halves.

There’s a debt that has never been repaid by Bharat.

We have supported them indirectly but seeing the news today that NATO soldiers disguised as Ukrainians are breaching Russian territory now, we must remain prepared to repay the debt to the Russians.
 
16 Indians Fighting In Russian Army 'Missing', 12 Killed So Far In Ukraine War: MEA

At least 16 Indian nationals deployed by the Russian Army to fight in Ukraine are missing, while 12 have been killed so far, the Ministry of External Affairs informed on Friday.

This development came after the death of Indian national recruited by the Russian military while another sustained injuries during Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Following this, India strongly raised the matter with Moscow and reiterated its demand for the early discharge of all Indians from the Russian Army.

“As of today, there have been 126 cases (of Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army). Of these 126 cases,96 people have returned to India and have been discharged from the Russian Armed Forces. 18 Indian nationals in the Russian Army remain and out of them the whereabouts of 16 individuals are not known," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a briefing on Friday.

Jaiswal said Russia has categorised the 16 Indian nationals as “missing", adding that India is seeking early release and repatriation of those who remain. At least 12 Indian nationals have been killed fighting for the Russian Army in Ukraine.

 
India stands nowhere. It has no relevance in geopolitics despite the myth of its economic prowess.
India has no choice but to stay mute.

Soviet era has gone. Russia continues to sells weapons because benefits them, along with the odd drill to keep Indians happy. Russia however understands India is in the US camp for their South Asia policy against China. Neither country really cares for India.
Hahaha. . blast from the past. These delusional posters don't know power of The Indian diplomacy .

:kp
 
16 Indians Fighting In Russian Army 'Missing', 12 Killed So Far In Ukraine War: MEA

At least 16 Indian nationals deployed by the Russian Army to fight in Ukraine are missing, while 12 have been killed so far, the Ministry of External Affairs informed on Friday.

This development came after the death of Indian national recruited by the Russian military while another sustained injuries during Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Following this, India strongly raised the matter with Moscow and reiterated its demand for the early discharge of all Indians from the Russian Army.

“As of today, there have been 126 cases (of Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army). Of these 126 cases,96 people have returned to India and have been discharged from the Russian Armed Forces. 18 Indian nationals in the Russian Army remain and out of them the whereabouts of 16 individuals are not known," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a briefing on Friday.

Jaiswal said Russia has categorised the 16 Indian nationals as “missing", adding that India is seeking early release and repatriation of those who remain. At least 12 Indian nationals have been killed fighting for the Russian Army in Ukraine.


Why are Indians fighting in this war? :inti

That's strange.
 
Why are Indians fighting in this war? :inti

That's strange.
Why are Bangladeshis fighting in this war? :inti :ROFLMAO:

That's strange?


This family on the outskirts of Dhaka is living through a nightmare. Aminul — son, husband and father — paid around 8,000 US dollars to a Bangladeshi travel broker to help him find work abroad. After he left the country, his wife Jhuma received the shocking news that he was fighting with the Russian military in Ukraine. Then, she lost contact with him for several weeks.

Jhuma Akram Akter, wife of alleged trafficking victim: "If I or my husband knew that he would be sent to the war, we would never have paid to have him sent off to die. Do you think we wanted to pay for him to die? He went to them hoping to get a job. The brokers lied to us and sold my husband to the Russian army."

At least seven Bangladeshi men or their families have alleged that this agency in Dhaka promised them work abroad but then trafficked them into the Russian military. One of the men has been reported killed in the war.

Arman Mondol is another one of the agency's clients. He says the brokers promised him work as a cleaner in Russia. But once he arrived there, he claims, Russian officials coerced him into the military.

Arman Mondol, alleged trafficking victim: "They told us to sign a paper written in Russian. We didn't understand it. It was actually a document to join the Russian army and we signed it without understanding it."

Arman says he was sent to a two-week training camp and then deployed to Ukraine. There, he was injured in both legs by a landmine. He spoke to DW from his hospital bed in Russia, and told us he's looking for a way back to Bangladesh.

Arman Mondol, alleged trafficking victim: "We are going through a difficult time in Russia. I hope I can go back to my country. I want to see my family. I don't want to be here anymore. I want to survive."

Outraged by the situation, several of the men's families filed charges with the police against the owners of the Dhaka agency, Fabiha T. and Abul H.

Fabiha was arrested at the Dhaka airport and charged with human trafficking. The case is being tried at this court in the capital, where plaintiffs' families gathered looking for information about their missing loved-ones.

Fabiha and her lawyers declined to speak to DW. The Dhaka agency at the center of the allegations has been closed by the police.

But we reached co-owner Abul by video link from a location outside of Bangladesh that he did not disclose to us. He claims that he didn't intend for his clients to end up as soldiers.

Abul H., accused travel broker: "We sent them with visas to work as cleaners, and for a salary of about 1,000 US dollars per month. But they signed a second agreement (in Russia) with a lucrative offer of over 16,000 US dollars monthly salary. They did not inform me, nor the brother of my partner who went there with them. We learned all this after they were totally entrapped."

Abul says he is not hiding from police, and intends to cooperate with the investigation.

Abul H., accused travel broker: "If I committed any offence, I will surrender myself to the law. I'm prepared to face trial according to Bangladeshi law."

The Bangladeshi government says it is negotiating with Russia to bring home the men presumed to still be there. A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said this was a clear case of coercion.

Touhid Hossain, Bangladesh Advisor for Foreign Affairs: "Those who are going to the Ukraine war are not doing it willingly. We can say that they are pressured into it by travel brokers. Either they are offered something lucrative, or, once they are abroad they're lured into it with offers of money. It's an illegal scheme and they, as well, travel there illegally. We are trying to crack down on it, but it's a difficult task, because even with the help of the UN, we're failing in our attempts to combat illegal migration."

This case of alleged trafficking is not the only one of its kind in Bangladesh. Police say they suspect 67 people of luring Bangladeshis into other countries including Russia with lucrative offers. The scale of their operations is not known.

Mustafizur Rahman, Assistant Police Superintendent, Bangladesh National Police: "We are trying to weed out the entire human trafficking gang operating this new route to Russia. Some of the operations are here in Bangladesh. But this route, this human trafficking route, is new. That's why we're taking it seriously and we are trying to stop this thing."

After weeks of uncertainty, Jhuma finally received a message from her husband letting her know that he is still alive.

But they both know his journey back home will be difficult. It's still unclear if Russia will allow him to leave, and, if so, how long it will be before she and their children see him again.
 
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