British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss visited India on Thursday, ahead of the arrival in Delhi of Russia’s top diplomat, to call on the Asian giant to take tougher action on Moscow over the invasion from Ukraine.
India abstained from voting in the UN Security Council for a resolution condemning Russia and contented itself with calling for an end to the violence. The country also continues to buy Russian oil and products.
In New Delhi, Ms. Truss will say that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscores the importance of democracies working more closely together to deter aggressors, reduce vulnerability to coercion and strengthen global security”, said reported the UK High Commission in New Delhi, Britain’s main diplomatic mission in India.
“Deeper ties between the UK and India will boost security in the Indo-Pacific region and globally, and create jobs and opportunities in both countries,” Ms Truss said in a statement.
“This is even more important in the context of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and underscores the need for free democracies to work more closely together.”
Ms Truss’ statements come ahead of a two-day visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to India.
United States President Joe Biden has called India “somewhat hesitant” on Russia and this week Daleep Singh, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh, also traveled to Delhi.
India and Russia have enjoyed close relations for decades, with the Asian giant buying much of its military hardware from Moscow.
According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), 46% of Indian imports came from Russia between 2017 and 2021.