US persuades India to leave Russia for weapons and energy procurement

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

米、インドにロシア離れを説得　兵器とエネルギー調達で

2022.09.25 Sun posted at 16:32 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） 米国務省高官は２５日までに、インド政府に対し兵器やエネルギー源の輸入でロシア離れを説得していることを明らかにした。

これまでの接触をへてインド政府当局者はロシア頼みからの離反が国益に実際寄与すると理解し始めているとの感触を得ているとした。

同高官は、インドは最初に兵器、その後はエネルギー源の確保について４０年余にわたってロシアに傾斜してきたと指摘。その依存度は極めて非常に大きかったともした。

その上で「米国は兵器獲得などの多様化について手助け出来る選択肢でインド側と掘り下げた意見交換をしてきた」と説明。兵器供給面ではロシアは信頼し得る相手ではないとも述べた。

エネルギー問題については、米国はロシア産石油の市場での流通は望むものの、ウクライナ侵攻を支える資金源を封じるため市場価格での上限設定に同調するよう各国に求めてきたと主張した。

米国務省高官の今回の発言は、インドのモディ首相が今月１６日、ロシアのプーチン大統領と対面会談し、「今は戦争の時代ではない」との苦言を直接伝えたともされる展開を受けたものともなっている。

インド、ロシア両首脳の会談は、ウズベキスタン・サマルカンドで開かれた上海協力機構（ＳＣＯ）の首脳会議に合わせて実施された。モディ、プーチン両氏の首脳会談は今年になって初めてだった。

国務省高官はインド側の対応の変化などに触れ、ウクライナ北東部イジュームで発覚した虐殺疑惑はロシアの行動をこれまで黙認してきた諸国に再考を促したことを示唆。集団墓地で頭部を撃ち抜かれた女性や子どもら約５００人の遺体が見つかる世界が震撼（しんかん）した惨事を受け、ロシアと密接な関係は持ちたくないと思うだろうとした。

Translation

  (CNN) A senior State Department official said on the 25th that it was trying to persuade India to move away from Russia on imports of weapons and energy sources.

It was said that through contacts so far, Indian officials felt they began to understand that breaking away from Russia's reliance would actually serve its nation's interests,

This official said, for more than 40 years, India had leaned toward Russia, first for weapons and then for energy sources. This degree of dependence became extremely high.

On top of that it was said "The United States has had in-depth exchanges with India on options that can help diversify its arms acquisition". It was also said that Russia was not a reliable partner when it came to arms supply.

On the energy issue, the United States said that while it wanted Russian oil to enter the market, it also asked other countries to join forces to do market price caps so as to cut off Russian’s source of funding for invading Ukraine.

The U.S. State Department official's remarks came after the development that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 16th of this month, also conveyed his directly complaint that "now is not the time for war”.

The Indian and Russian leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Modi and Putin met for the first time this year.

A senior State Department official touched on changes in India's response and suggested that the allegations of a massacre in Izyum in northeastern Ukraine had prompted countries that so far acquiesced to Russia's actions to consider changes. After they knew the world-shattering tragedy in which about 500 bodies of women and children with heads shot through were found in mass graves, it was supposed that they would try not to have a close relationship with Russia.

              So, the US is trying to persuade India to move away from Russia on imports of weapons and energy sources. Obviously, the ultimate aim is to isolate Russian and to invite India to have a closer relation with the US and its allies in Asia.