Obama slams Putin as Modi looks on

US President Barack Obama on Monday used a news conference in New Delhi to slam Moscow for fresh flare-up in eastern Ukraine, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who just four days ago boasted of “time-tested special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia, looked on.

“We are deeply concerned about the latest break in the ceasefire, the aggression that the separatists with Russian backing and equipment, Russian financing and training that the Russian troops are conducting. We will continue to take the approach that we have taken which is to ratchet up the pressure on Russia,” Obama said in a joint news-conference with Modi in New Delhi.  

“I will look at all additional options that are available to us, short of military confrontation, and try to address this issue,” he added, responding to a question from a US journalist who accompanied him from Washington.

“If Mr Vladimir Putin and Russia are hell-bent on engaging in military conflict, their military is more powerful than Ukraine’s. The question is going to be whether they pursue a path which is not only as bad for the people of Ukraine but also as bad for the people of Russia,” said the US president.

Obama’s diatribe against Russia and Putin during the joint news conference with Modi caused a bit of unease to New Delhi, which has a long-standing strategic partnership with Moscow.

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh later pointed out that New Delhi had nothing to do with US president’s comments about Russia and the Russian president. “It was a question from a US journalist to the US president. We have nothing to do with that. You are aware about special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia,” Singh told journalists shortly after Modi-Obama joint news conference.

Modi noted time tested “special and privileged strategic partnership” between New Delhi and Moscow as recently as on January 21, when Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu called on him.

Prime Minister also played host to Russian President last month.

Washington sought to dissuade New Delhi from augmenting its engagement with sanction-hit Russia ahead of Putin’s visit to New Delhi. Modi Government however remained unfazed and the Russian President’s visit saw New Delhi and Moscow signing a series of documents, seeking to step up bilateral defence, energy and economic ties. 

India refrained from backing Crimea’s secession from Ukraine in March this year, but acknowledged Russia’s legitimate interests in the region. New Delhi also opposed unilateral moves by the US and EU to impose sanctions on Russia.
DH News Service