Last updated on April 24th, 2022 at 06:15 pm
“We know that our Indian allies are dedicated to a global order founded on norms. In that order, there are a variety of tenets. The fact that boundaries cannot be redrawn by force is one of the “Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, remarked
Washington: The United States has hoped that India, which is committed to a rules-based international order, will stand by its side in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which the Biden administration believes is imminent, given Moscow’s recent deployment of 7,000 troops along Ukraine’s border. On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price stated that during the recently finished Quad ministerial in Melbourne, which includes foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, there was a debate on Russia and Ukraine.
He stated that there was a “solid consensus” at that conference that the Ukraine crisis must be resolved diplomatically and peacefully. “Reinforcing the rules-based international order is one of the Quad’s key pillars. And it’s a rules-based order that holds true in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and everywhere else. We know that our Indian allies are dedicated to the international rules-based order. In that sequence, there are a number of tenets. Price responded to a query by saying, “One of them is that borders cannot be redrawn by force.” “Small countries cannot be bullied by powerful countries.” Only the citizens of a certain country have the ability to choose its foreign policy. their collaborations, alliances, and affiliations “Those are concepts that apply equally in the Indo-Pacific as they do in Europe,” he remarked, perhaps alluding to China’s aggressive stance toward its neighbors, notably India.
In the face of China’s increasing military posturing in the region, India, the United States, and a number of other world powers have discussed the importance of ensuring a free, open, and vibrant Indo-Pacific. Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all claim parts of the disputed South China Sea, while China claims practically all of it. In the South China Sea, Beijing has constructed artificial islands and military outposts.
Price said Secretary of State Antony Blinken and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar talked about defense topics, but he wouldn’t say whether they talked about possible sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). CAATSA, which was passed by the US Congress in 2017, allows for retaliation against any country that transacts with Russia’s defense and intelligence industries. “Our broad defense connection was discussed,” Price added, “but I wouldn’t want to define it beyond that.”
Despite the Trump administration’s warning that proceeding with the contract could result in US sanctions, India struck a USD 5 billion deal with Russia in October 2018 to buy five S-400 air defense missile systems. In 2019, India paid Russia the first installment of roughly USD 800 million for the missile systems. Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defense system is known as the S-400. Secretary of State Blinken stated earlier in the day that the US was doing everything it could to find a peaceful end to the issue that Moscow had “needlessly caused.” “However, as we’ve already stated, those measures will only be effective if the Russian Federation is willing to de-escalate,” Price told reporters.
According to a senior US administration official, the West identified a 7,000-strong Russian force near the Ukrainian border, with some arriving as late as Wednesday, despite Moscow’s promises of departure. “To be clear, we haven’t seen anything like that. In reality, we’ve seen the polar opposite in recent weeks, if not days. There are more Russian forces near the border, not fewer, and they are moving into combat positions in an alarming manner. This is a major source of concern. At the same time, and as we’ve already warned, we’ve seen Russian officials and Russian media plant countless articles in the press in recent weeks “Price stated his opinion.
Any of these, according to a state department spokeswoman, might be elevated to serve as a pretext for an invasion. “We are concerned that this may happen at any time, and the world should be prepared.” It might include misleading reports about Ukrainian military operations in the Donbas, false claims about US or NATO activities on land, sea, or air, and even false claims about Ukrainian or NATO invasions into Russian territory, he warned. “We are especially concerned about President (Vladimir) Putin and other Russian authorities’ repeated references to ‘genocide’ in Donbas. None of these charges have any substance in fact.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied it has plans to attack Ukraine but demanded that NATO never admit Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as members and the military alliance roll back troop deployments in former Soviet bloc nations.
