NEW DELHI
The United States on Thursday threatened countries for what it said were trying to “circumvent or backfill” American sanctions against Moscow.
According to Indian media, Visiting US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh, referring to the “no limits” partnership between Moscow and Beijing, said India should not expect Russia to come to its defence in case China violates the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
After holding a series of meetings with Indian interlocutors including Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, he also said that the US would not like to see any country engaging in financial transactions with the Russian central bank.
Mr Singh said India’s current import of Russian energy doesn’t violate any of the American sanctions, but at the same time added that Washington would like to see its allies and partners find ways to reduce their reliance on an “unreliable supplier”.
The US Deputy NSA, who played a key role in designing American sanctions against Russia, arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday on a two-day visit in the backdrop of increasing disquiet among Western powers over India not criticising Russia over its attack on Ukraine.
“We would not like to see mechanisms that are designed to prop up the rouble or to undermine the dollar-based financial system or to circumvent our financial sanctions,” he told a small group of reporters.
His comments came on a day Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in India on a two-day visit that could see discussions on a Rouble-Rupee payment mechanism for bilateral trade including New Delhi’s purchase of Russian Oil.
“What we would not like to see is a rapid acceleration of India’s imports from Russia as it relates to energy or any other any other exports that are currently being prohibited by the US or by other aspects of the international sanctions regime,” he said.
