At the Quad Summit in Tokyo, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said the leaders were “navigating through a dark hour in our shared history” because of Russia’s war on Ukraine. He added that it was ”more than just a European issue, it’s a global issue.”
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also took note of Russia’s aggression and added: “We cannot let the same thing happen in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Biden made the case that the world has a shared responsibility to do something to assist Ukrainian resistance against Russia’s aggression.
“The Russian brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe and innocent civilians have been killed in the streets and millions of refugees are internally displaced as well as in exile,” Biden said. “And this is more than just a European issue, it’s a global issue.”
Unlike other Quad countries and nearly every other U.S. ally, India has not imposed sanctions or even condemned Russia, its biggest supplier of military hardware.
Facing Western pressure, India has condemned civilian deaths in Ukraine and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Yet it also has compounded fallout from a war that has caused a global food shortage by banning wheat exports at a time when starvation is a growing risk in parts of the world.
After initial anger against India's stand, the US and other Western countries seem to have understood Delhi's position.
The 2+2 Dialogue - attended by the foreign and defence ministers of the US and India - in April helped smooth their differences over Ukraine.
The US has acknowledged that India's heavy dependence on Russia for its defence imports could not be overlooked.
The Quad has been focused on countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region, but tension has emerged among the four partners over how to respond after Russia invaded Ukraine. Japan and Australia are aligned with American goals when it comes to the Kremlin, creating some division with India as the group tries to present a united front.
India’s oil imports from Russia, while important, are relatively small, and Modi has deflected criticism, accusing European allies more reliant on Russian fuel of hypocrisy.
The bigger issue is where India gets its military equipment — about 70% to 80% of it was purchased from Russia. Even if India stopped buying Russian hardware, it would depend for years on Moscow to provide software upgrades, replacement parts and expertise.
Modi shares American concerns over China, which has become a bigger threat to India since the two countries began engaging in skirmishes along a shared border in recent years. But India sees Russia as part of that equation, too. New Delhi is concerned that antagonizing Russia would push Putin closer to China.
(with inputs from agencies)
