US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Thursday countries like India and South Africa, which have not joined the West in denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, were likely on a trajectory away from alignment with Moscow but that process would not happen “in one fell swoop”.
“There are countries that have long-standing, decades-long relationships with Russia, with the Soviet Union before, that are challenging to break off in one fell swoop. It's not flipping a light switch, it’s moving an aircraft carrier,” Blinken said in an interview with The Atlantic marking the one year anniversary of the war.
India has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine. New Delhi has thus far resisted that pressure, citing its long-standing ties with Russia and its economic and oil needs.
Russia has been India's largest weapons supplier since Soviet Union days. However, Washington in recent years has looked to woo New Delhi away from its traditional military supplier. India is desperate to modernise its largely Soviet-era fighter jet fleet to boost its air power after concerns about Russian supply delays due to the Ukraine war.
“India for decades had Russia at the core of providing military equipment to it and its defences, but what we’ve seen over the past few years is a trajectory away from relying on Russia and moving into partnership with us and other countries,” Blinken said.
He said he understood the reasons for South Africa's ties with Russia while acknowledging regret for Washington's “sympathetic” approach to the apartheid-era regime.
The ANC, which has governed since white minority rule ended in 1994, had strong ties to the former Soviet Union, which trained and supported anti-apartheid activists during the Cold War. Former president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, who died in 2013 and was a global icon, was regarded with suspicion by Washington during the Cold War and was on the US terrorism watch list during that era.
“The Soviet Union was supportive of the freedom forces in South Africa, and of course unfortunately, more than unfortunately, the US was much too sympathetic to the apartheid regime so that history also doesn’t get erased overnight, it's a process,” Blinken said.
Reuters
Blinken says India and South Africa are on slow trajectory away from alignment with Russia
Image: Sandile Ndlovu
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Thursday countries like India and South Africa, which have not joined the West in denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, were likely on a trajectory away from alignment with Moscow but that process would not happen “in one fell swoop”.
“There are countries that have long-standing, decades-long relationships with Russia, with the Soviet Union before, that are challenging to break off in one fell swoop. It's not flipping a light switch, it’s moving an aircraft carrier,” Blinken said in an interview with The Atlantic marking the one year anniversary of the war.
India has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine. New Delhi has thus far resisted that pressure, citing its long-standing ties with Russia and its economic and oil needs.
Russia has been India's largest weapons supplier since Soviet Union days. However, Washington in recent years has looked to woo New Delhi away from its traditional military supplier. India is desperate to modernise its largely Soviet-era fighter jet fleet to boost its air power after concerns about Russian supply delays due to the Ukraine war.
“India for decades had Russia at the core of providing military equipment to it and its defences, but what we’ve seen over the past few years is a trajectory away from relying on Russia and moving into partnership with us and other countries,” Blinken said.
He said he understood the reasons for South Africa's ties with Russia while acknowledging regret for Washington's “sympathetic” approach to the apartheid-era regime.
The ANC, which has governed since white minority rule ended in 1994, had strong ties to the former Soviet Union, which trained and supported anti-apartheid activists during the Cold War. Former president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, who died in 2013 and was a global icon, was regarded with suspicion by Washington during the Cold War and was on the US terrorism watch list during that era.
“The Soviet Union was supportive of the freedom forces in South Africa, and of course unfortunately, more than unfortunately, the US was much too sympathetic to the apartheid regime so that history also doesn’t get erased overnight, it's a process,” Blinken said.
Reuters
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