U.S. Threatens India With Sanctions Over Russian Arms Sales To India

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan September 16, 2022. (File photo: Reuters)  

Bloomberg: Russian arms sales to India stall due to fears over US sanctions 

NEW DELHI: Russian deliveries of military supplies to India have ground to a halt as the countries struggle to find a payment mechanism that doesn’t violate US sanctions, according to Indian officials with knowledge of the matter. 

Indian payments for weapons amounting to more than $2 billion have been stuck for about a year, and Russia has stopped supplying credit for a pipeline of about $10 billion worth of spare parts as well as two S-400 missile-defense system batteries that have yet to be delivered, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.  

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WNU Editor: A prediction. The U.S. will soon be telling India to stop doing this .... Russian Oil Is Welcome in India as Trade Booms, New Refiner Says (Bloomberg).

U.S. Intel Helped India Rout China in 2022 Border Clash

US News and World Report: U.S. Intel Helped India Rout China in 2022 Border Clash: Sources 

A previously unreported act of intelligence-sharing prevented another deadly standoff in disputed Himalayan territory and rattled the Chinese government, sources say. 

India was able to repel a Chinese military incursion in contested border territory in the high Himalayas late last year due to unprecedented intelligence-sharing with the U.S. military, U.S. News has learned, an act that caught China’s People’s Liberation Army forces off-guard, enraged Beijing and appears to have forced the Chinese Communist Party to reconsider its approach to land grabs along its borders. 

The U.S. government for the first time provided real-time details to its Indian counterparts of the Chinese positions and force strength in advance of a PLA incursion, says a source familiar with a previously unreported U.S. intelligence review of the encounter into the Arunachal Pradesh region. The information included actionable satellite imagery and was more detailed and delivered more quickly than anything the U.S. had previously shared with the Indian military.  

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WNU Editor: It is interesting that all of this information is being leaked now.

Washington Tries To Convince India To Buy U.S. Weapons

A US Air Force F-35 fighter jet taxis during the Aero India 2023 air show at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru, India, Feb. 13, 2023.  

Reuters: U.S. tries to woo India away from Russia with display of F-35s, bombers 

BENGALURU -The United States brought its most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, to India for the first time this week alongside F-16s, Super Hornets and B-1B bombers as Washington looks to woo New Delhi away from its traditional military supplier, Russia. 

India, desperate to modernise its largely Soviet-era fighter jet fleet to boost its air power, is concerned about Russian supply delays due to the Ukraine war and faces pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow. 

The American delegation to the week-long Aero India show in Bengaluru, which ends on Friday, is the biggest in the 27-year history of the show and underlines the growing strategic relationship between the United States and India.  

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WNU Editor: U.S. - India fighter jet talks are only at the early stages .... US-India Talks On F-35 Fighter Jets Still In ‘Early Stages’ (ABP Live). This is part of a broader trend of growing U.S. - India ties .... US and India deepen defence and tech ties, as Biden team eyes China, Russia (SCMP).

U.S. Tells India These Are The Conditions To Buy Russian Oil

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in an interview with Reuters in New Delhi © Thomson Reuters  

Reuters: Exclusive-India can buy as much Russian oil as it wants, outside price cap, Yellen says 

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The United States is happy for India to continue buying as much Russian oil as it wants, including at prices above a G7-imposed price cap mechanism, if it steers clear of Western insurance, finance and maritime services bound by the cap, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday. 

The cap would still drive global oil prices lower while curbing Russia's revenues, Yellen said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of a conference on deepening U.S.-Indian economic ties. 

Russia will not be able to sell as much oil as it does now once the European Union halts imports without resorting to the capped price or significant discounts from current prices, Yellen added. 

"Russia is going to find it very difficult to continue shipping as much oil as they have done when the EU stops buying Russian oil," Yellen said. "They're going to be heavily in search of buyers. And many buyers are reliant on Western services."  

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Update: US sets conditions for India to keep buying Russian oil (RT)  

WNU editor: The US is using the stick (no carrots) to force India to stop buying Russian oil. I predict this approach will fail.

India needs energy and the revenue that they make from it. They are not going to bend the knee and accept these U.S. conditions.

President Biden And Indian Prime Minister Modi Discuss The Russia - Ukraine War

 

The Hill: Biden, Modi have ‘candid exchange’ on Russia 

President Biden held a “candid exchange of views” on Monday in an hourlong virtual call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a U.S. senior official. 

India has continued to buy Russian oil as the U.S. and other nations have sanctioned Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. 

The official, during a National Security Council briefing following the meeting, characterized the conversation as “warm and productive” despite the differences.  

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WNU Editor: India is not going to change its neutral stance on the Russia - Ukraine war. 

President Biden And Indian Prime Minister Modi Discuss The Russia - Ukraine War  

Readout of President Biden’s Call with Prime Minister Modi of India -- White House  

Modi calls U.S. and India "natural partners" in meeting with Biden -- Axios  

Biden, Modi discuss Ukraine war amid US frustration over India's neutral stance -- France 24  

Biden urges Modi not to step up Indian use of Russian oil -- AP  

Biden Urges Modi Not to Accelerate Russian Energy Imports -- VOA  

Ukraine dominates Modi-Biden talks -- The Hindu

U.S. Says India To Face Significant Costs If Aligned With Russia

Bloomberg: India to Face Significant Cost If Aligned With Russia, U.S. Says 

 (Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser said the administration has warned India against aligning itself with Russia, and that U.S. officials have been “disappointed” with some of New Delhi’s reaction to the Ukraine invasion.

“There are certainly areas where we have been disappointed by both China and India’s decisions, in the context of the invasion,” the director of the White House National Economic Council, Brian Deese, told reporters at a breakfast Wednesday hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. 

The U.S. has told India that the consequences of a “more explicit strategic alignment” with Moscow would be “significant and long-term,” he said. 

While the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan have piled economic sanctions onto Russia in response to its war against Ukraine, India has declined and instead has sought to continue imports of Russian oil.  

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WNU Editor: This irked the U.S. .... India Rolls out Red Carpet for Russian Foreign Minister (The Diplomat). 

IMHO the government of India is not going to abandon their neutral status in the Russia - Ukraine war. 

Update: India is not buying this argument .... Russia Wouldn't Come To Your Defence If China Breaches Border, US Warns India (NDTV). 

 U.S. Says India To Face Significant Costs If Aligned With Russia 

U.S. FBI says it disrupted Russian hackers -- Reuters  

U.S. Tells India There Will Be 'Consequences' for Dodging Russia Sanctions -- Newsweek 

India faces pressure over close ties with Moscow -- The Hill 

US Warns India, China Of 'significant & Long-term' Consequences Of Alignment With Russia -- Republic World

US warns India over Russian weapons -- RT

India Objects To U.S. Navy’s Assertion Of Navigational Rights Within India’s EEZ Sans Consent

India Tribune: US Navy sails in Indian Exclusive Economic Zone; asserts it is right, India’s claim wrong  

India conveys concerns to US 

In what could lead to serious questions on the India-US relations, the US Navy has announced that it has ‘asserted’ navigational rights in the Arabian Sea and inside India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), without requesting India’s prior consent. 

The 7th Fleet of the US Navy has made an announcement about one of its warships saying “USS John Paul Jones (it) asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands.

This freedom of navigation operation (“FONOP”) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognised in international law by challenging India’s excessive maritime claims.” 

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WNU Editor: The U.S. does not have many supporters for what they are doing .... The 7th Fleet Commander Statement Shows Just One Thing—United States’ Stupidity (News 18). 

More News On India Objecting To The U.S. Navy’s Assertion Of Navigational Rights Within India’s EEZ Sans Consent  

India Objects to US Navy Ship's Patrol Without Consent -- Military.com/AP 

U.S. Navy Challenges Quad Partner India's 'Excessive' Claims at Sea, Met with 'Concerns' -- Newsweek  

US Navy conducts operation in India's EEZ: New Delhi conveys concern to Washington -- Times of India  

India irked by US 'freedom of navigation operation' near its border -- Express Tribune  

As US Warship Enters Indian Waters Sans Consent, is Biden Sending 'Unpleasant Message' Over S-400s? -- Sputnik

US Navy sends warship to India’s exclusive economic zone without permission, to challenge New Delhi's ‘excessive maritime claims’ -- RT

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Warns India That It's Planned Purchase Of An Advanced Russian Missile System Could Trigger U.S. Sanctions

 

Politico: Austin hints India’s purchase of Russian missile system could trigger sanctions 

But the Pentagon chief said New Delhi has not yet acquired the S-400. 

NEW DELHI — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hinted during a visit to New Delhi on Saturday that India’s planned purchase of an advanced Russian missile system could trigger U.S. sanctions, but left room for New Delhi to back away from the deal. 

“We certainly urge all our allies and partners to move away from Russian equipment … and really avoid any kind of acquisitions that would trigger sanctions on our behalf,” Austin said in response to a question from a reporter about India’s plan to acquire the S-400. 

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More News On U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's Visit To India 

Austin Says Discussed With India Its Planned Purchase of Russian Air Defence Systems -- US News and World Report/Reuters 

U.S. Defense Secretary Urges India To Avoid Buying Russian Military Equipment -- RFE 

Pentagon Chief Says India Should Forgo Buying Russia's S-400s to Avoid US Sanctions -- Sputnik 

U.S. defense secretary to India: Steer clear of Russian defense systems -- Axios

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Arrives In New Delhi For Three Days Of Talks

 

Reuters: Austin on mission to deepen India-U.S. ties, urged to raise Russia deal 

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was urged by a senior U.S senator to convey Washington’s opposition to India’s proposed purchase of Russian air defence systems as he headed to New Delhi on Friday for talks aimed at deepening security ties. 

Austin is making the first visit by a top member of the Biden administration to Delhi as part of efforts to forge a alliance of countries seeking to push back against China’s assertiveness in the region. 

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WNU Editor: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be staying in India for three days. The topics that will be discussed are .... Afghanistan, China, military deals including India's missile deal with Russia. 

 More News On US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Arriving In New Delhi 

US Defence Secy Lloyd Austin Calls on PM Modi, Conveys President Biden's Greetings -- News 18 India 

China, military deals, security ties: Why US defence secretary's India visit matters -- Times of India 

What to Expect From Lloyd Austin's Trip to India -- Foreign Policy 

How SecDef Austin Can Make the Most of His India Visit -- Defense One

For The First Time Since 1945 A U.S. Bomber Has Landed In India

A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., prepares to land at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India, Feb. 1, 2021. Aero India is an ideal forum to showcase U.S. defense aircraft and equipment and ultimately contribute toward compatibility and interoperability with other countries. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christina Bennett) 

Air Force Magazine: B-1B Makes First US Bomber Visit to India Since 1945 

A B-1B bomber from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., flew over the 13th edition of the Aero India trade show at Bengaluru on Feb. 3, escorted by an Indian Air Force Tejas fighter. The bomber landed and went on static display, marking the first time a U.S. bomber has landed in India since 1945. 

The B-1B was joined by a C-5M Super Galaxy on the tarmac. The visit was meant to highlight growing ties between the U.S. and India. 

“India plays a key role in the Indo-Pacific region, and our cooperation advances our shared vision of a rules-based international order that promotes the prosperity and security of all countries,” U.S. Charge d’Affaires Don Heflin, head of the U.S. delegation, said at an Aero India press conference Feb. 2. 

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Update: US B-1B Lancer debuts at Aero India 2021 (US Air Force) 

WNU Editor: The press in India covered this news story extensively .... Hope to strengthen Indo-US ties: Squadron head (Times Of India).

U.S. Aiding India To Keep An Eye On China's Military

Indian Border Security Force soldiers at a checkpoint in Kashmir on a highway leading to Ladakh, June 17, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Ismail 

Business Insider: The US is helping India keep an eye on China's military, top US commanders say 

 * Disputes between India and China over their border in the Himalayas have intensified in recent months, after a deadly clash between their troops in June. 

 * That adds to broader competition between India and China on land and at sea around Asia, but recent military agreements with the US allow India to watch rival Chinese forces more closely. 

As tension between India and China has increased in recent months, the US military has helped India keep an eye on Chinese forces, senior US military commanders said in November. 

A deadly brawl on India and China's disputed border in the Himalayas in June was their first such clash in decades. Since then both have reinforced their positions, and India has had help monitoring Chinese forces. 

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Update: US Is Helping India With Surveillance of Chinese Military Near Disputed Border (Anti-War)

WNU Editor: I suspect there is a lot of intelligence cooperation between the U.S. and India right now when it comes to China.

Will India Join The Five Eyes

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) speaks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (center) and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper during a meeting in New Delhi on October 27, 2020. Photo: PIB / AFP 

MK Bhadrakumar, Asia Times: India-US intel deal may presage ‘Sixth Eye’ 

Indian analysts view the BECA as a matter of defense cooperation, but there is a parallel track involving the Five Eyes alliance. India and the United States on Tuesday signed an intelligence-sharing agreement during the “2+2” security dialogue between their foreign and defense ministers in New Delhi. 

The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) is expected to provide India with access to the United States’ geospatial maps and satellite images that would help enhance the accuracy of weapons and drones. This is seen as a “force multiplier” for the Indian armed forces. Everything has been handled in such a hush-hush manner that the public at large has no clue as to what is afoot. Some military analysts caution that the new grid gives the US access to highly sensitive nerve centers of defense planning and operations in the Indian military establishment. 

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WNU Editor: It s going to take a long time before India joins the Five Eyes. But this intelligence agreement between the U.S. and India is a start.