On Biden’s trip to Asia, a reminder of Ukraine’s unresolved dilemma


WASHINGTON — In what is expected to be one of the most complex meetings of his Asia trip, President Joe Biden plans to sit down in Japan this week with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a key US ally. against Russia.

India, along with other nations, has tried to walk a fine line between the United States and Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, seeking to maintain a relatively neutral position from which it is not expected to budge, foreign policy experts said. Biden plans to meet Modi during a summit of the so-called Quad countries, which also includes Japan and Australia.

“India doesn’t move from one side to the other, they like to reinforce their status as an independent great power, and I think that’s the hardest part of the journey, maybe the hardest,” said Barry Pavel, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. “Getting India to play a bigger role in the coalition should be a top priority, and they just haven’t wanted to play ball.”

India, while not alone in its reluctance to secede from Russia, has provided a stark example of the challenge the US faces on this front, particularly in Asia.

While India called for a ceasefire and sent humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, it also increased its imports of Russian oil, using a rupee-ruble mechanism that avoids sanctions against transactions in US dollars, according to data compiled by Reuters. He has also abstained from votes at the United Nations critical of Russia.

Beyond Biden’s interactions with Modi, the war in Ukraine was expected to feature prominently in talks with other leaders on the trip to South Korea and Japan that began Friday, given the ripple effect the war is having. throughout the world economy, driving up food prices. and materials used in electronics.

“It’s going to affect all the meetings, except maybe the North Korean ones,” Pavel said. “I don’t think you can talk about China policy or China’s agenda without thinking about Ukraine because Ukraine is affecting the global economy, it’s affecting supply chains, it’s strengthening US relationships with European and US allies. Indo-Pacific to a great extent. ”

Projecting a united front has been key in Biden’s strategy to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, and was the central focus of Biden’s last trip abroad to Brussels and Poland in March. Biden will have a chance to show that unity when it comes to Korea, Japan and Australia, something the administration plans to highlight not only as a message to Putin, but also to China.

“The message that we are trying to send on this journey is a message of an affirmative vision of what the world can be like if the world’s democracies and open societies come together to shape the rules of the road, to define the security architecture. . of the region, to reinforce strong and powerful historic alliances,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said during a press conference on Wednesday.

That unity “will send a powerful message. We believe that message will be heard everywhere. We think it will be heard in Beijing,” Sullivan said.

Despite earlier rhetoric from the administration about the consequences for countries that did not join efforts to isolate Russia from the world, the United States has avoided putting public pressure on India, the world’s most populous democracy. Biden is unlikely to make any public attempt to pressure India during his visit, foreign policy experts said.

“What they would really like India to do in the short term is clearly call out Russia for the invasion, publicly defend the rights of sovereign democratic states, and also not buy cheap Russian oil,” said Manjari Chatterjee Miller, senior member of the Council of External relationships. “Instead, they have just asked India to limit its oil purchases from Russia and have avoided any public posturing that seems to condemn India for its position, even as they have made noises of disappointment.”

India has historically avoided taking sides in global conflicts, and Russia presents a complex national security and economic challenge to the country. The vast majority of India’s military equipment comes from Russia, which has been a national security partner for decades in its conflicts with Kashmir and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the Indian media has accused the West of instigating the conflict by supporting NATO expansion.

Cheap oil from Russia since the invasion has helped support the country’s economy, which has been hit by rising food prices as exports of staples such as wheat and sunflower oil have been halted. due to the invasion.

During meetings across Europe earlier this month, Modi showed little sign of a change in his stance toward Russia, instead walking away from the trip with new trade and national security deals and smiling photo opportunities with the leaders. Europeans.

“The position of the US and the EU is a total condemnation of Russia, the sanctions and the supply of military weapons and aid to Ukraine,” Miller said. “India is not going to do any of those things.”



Reference-www.nbcnews.com

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