Not in India's best interest to invest in Russian equipment, US Secretary of Defence

Currently, New Delhi mostly relies on Russian military equipment

WASHINGTON:

The United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on April 6 told US lawmakers that India’s defence equipment buying from Russia is “not in their best interest”.

Responding to a question from Republican Representative Joe Wilson who described India as a “treasured ally” and “the world’s largest democracy,” the secretary of defence stated that leaders in New Delhi would be “required” to exchange Russian arms for weaponry from the United States.

“We continue to work with [India] to ensure that they understand that it’s not in their best interest to continue to invest in Russian equipment,” Austin told the members of the House Armed Services Committee.

India, as the world’s largest military importer, relies on Russian military equipment for approximately half of its supply. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Russia accounted for 46% of India’s military imports between 2017 and 2021.

Read India says trying to stabilise economic transactions with Russia

In an attempt to isolate Russia following the latter’s conflict with Ukraine, the United States aims to convince Indian leaders to reject Putin and align with its “natural allies of democracy,” as stated by representative Joe Wilson.

While the western allies of the US have heavily sanctioned Russia, India has maintained its Cold War era neutral stance- against Washington's criticism.