Singling out India among the Quad members, US President Joe Biden has said that New Delhi has been ‘somewhat shaky’ in acting against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. There is nothing ‘shaky’ about safeguarding national interests – and that is exactly what India has been doing, holding its own amid relentless pressure from the US and its allies. The country’s ‘independent foreign policy’ has won praise from an unexpected quarter — Pakistan — but it is obvious that America is not happy with New Delhi’s assertion of strategic autonomy. India’s decision to import Russian oil at discounted rates to meet its urgent needs has also riled the US, again unreasonably.

India’s diplomatic tightrope walk underlines a pragmatic response in view of its time-tested relationship with Russia. The enduring strength of the bilateral ties was witnessed during an in-person summit meeting between PM Modi and President Putin in December last year, when the two nations signed a pact on military cooperation for a 10-year period. What heightened the summit’s significance was its timing: it was held in the golden jubilee year of the historic Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation, which had stood India in good stead during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.

Russia continues to be the topmost arms supplier to India, even though its share in the total imports has dropped from 69 per cent to 46 per cent over the past half a decade, according to a report released recently by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Wedged between China and Pakistan, both dodgy neighbors, India cannot afford to compromise on its defense preparedness. It’s here that old ally Russia has been playing a critical role with its unstinting military-technical support. The threat of US sanctions did not stop India and Russia from going ahead with the S-400 missile deal. With America having a finger in virtually every multilateral pie — be it Quad, AUKUS or the prospective alliance with Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan — New Delhi is adopting a wise course by keeping its options open and not abandoning its time-tested ally.

(Tribune, India)