According to a Russian diplomat, normalising India-China alliances is better for the globe
According to the Russian ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, the quicker India-China relations returned to normal, the more the globe would benefit. He also noted that a weak Pakistan wouldn’t be stronger for the area, India, or Afghanistan and that Russia would not act in a way that would harm India in its interaction with Islamabad. Mr. Alipov admitted that the economic links between India and Russia have been under stress for some time, but that this stress has increased during the past year as a result of “tectonic geopolitical” events in Europe, specifically the conflict in Ukraine.
The representative reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to completing the agreement on schedule and noted that the third regiment of the S-400 Triumf air defence system had been delivered. Five S-400 regiments were ordered by India as part of a $5.43 billion agreement finalised in October 2018.
He stated that Russia would want to see a normalisation of relations between India and China and an end to the continuing impasse along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which would be advantageous to the entire world. He referred to Russia’s own border dispute with China, which he claimed took them almost 40 years to resolve, and said, “We appreciate there are severe hurdles to that, an incredibly severe border issue between the two nations,” but eventually, “to negotiate” is the only solution.
Mr. Alipov stated in response to worries in India about the unrestricted alliance between Russia and China, “We have an extremely cooperative relationship with the Chinese.” However, we will never be China’s or any other company’s junior partner.
Regarding the bilateral ties between India and Russia, he claimed that the economic collaboration has achieved significant strides. “Mutual trade exceeded $30 billion in 2022.” It was unquestionably brought about by a 36-fold growth in Russian oil exports, which now account for 25% of India’s imports, making Russia the largest crude supplier to that country, according to Mr. Alipov.
The Russian envoy made fun of the United States while discussing the two nations’ long-standing protection and technology transfer cooperation. He claimed that neither nation combines political and technological exchange. Furthermore, he asserted that the United States excelled at marketing, joking about “the subpar performance of Russian armaments in Ukraine.”
Mr. Alipov stated that the rupee-ruble payment system was in place and that Vostro accounts had been generated. However, Indian banks had been overly cautious due to their concern over Western sanctions.