India shares longstanding ties with Russia, countries must be mindful of realities: MEA on US diplomat’s comments

Reacting to top US official Donald Lu’s remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia, the Ministry of External Affairs said that New Delhi has longstanding relationship with Moscow and every country has freedom of choice in a multipolar world.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal further stated that it is essential for everybody to be “mindful” and appreciative of such realities.

“We must understand that India has a longstanding relationship with Russia that is based on mutuality of interests. In a multipolar world, all country has freedom of choice. It is essential for everybody to be mindful of and appreciate such realities,” Jaiswal said at the weekly press briefing on Thursday.

This comes after top American diplomat Donald Lu expressed ‘disappointment’ over PM Modi’s visit to Russia and said that Washington is holding “tough conversations” with New Delhi on these concerns.

PM Modi, who was on an official visit to Moscow recently, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin there and outlined their goals to eliminate non-tariff trade barriers and achieve a mutual trade volume of over USD 100 billion by 2030.

The two leaders also decided to continue dialogue on the liberalization of bilateral trade, including the possibility of establishing the EAEU-India Free Trade Area, according to the Leaders’ Joint Statement released following the meeting.

They also decided to work on developing a bilateral settlement system using national currencies and the consistent introduction of digital financial instruments for mutual settlements.

Prior to Lu, US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, in veiled remarks, said that there is no such thing as “strategic autonomy” in times of conflict. His remarks came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia.

“I know that India…and I respect that India likes its strategic autonomy, but in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy. We will in crisis moments, need to know each other. I don’t care what title we put to it, but we will need to know that we are trusted friends, brothers and sisters, and colleagues in times of need,” Garcetti said at an event last week.

Reacting to this, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India values its strategic autonomy and has its own and different views. It also stated that the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two nations gives them the space “to agree to disagree” on certain issues, while respecting each other’s viewpoints.

“India, like many other countries, values its strategic autonomy. The US Ambassador is entitled to his opinion. We also have our own and different views. Our comprehensive global strategic partnership with the US gives us the space to agree to disagree on certain issues, while respecting each other’s viewpoints,” Jaiswal said in the weekly press briefing last week.

In Russia, PM Modi was ceremoniously presented with the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, Russia’s highest civilian honour, by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Notably, the award was bestowed on PM Modi in the year 2019, but he received it physically during his visit to the nation.

It was PM Modi’s first visit to Russia since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022.

Notably, India has always advocated “peace and diplomacy” for resolving conflict between India and Russia but has continued to purchase Russian oil, despite the objections of the Western nations, especially the US.

PM Modi said that everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is a loss of lives. He further stated that it is “heart-wrenching” when innocent children are dying. The Prime Minister also reiterated that the resolution to the conflict can’t happen on battlefield but only through dialogue.