India wants to be strong friends with the West, but it needs Russia, says minister

India wants to be strong friends with the “liberal world” but it needs Russia’s assistance to defend its borders, a top minister said, following criticism about refusal to outright condemn Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.

India is the world’s top buyer of Russian weapons, which it uses to deter aggression from neighbours Pakistan and China – two countries that have long cooperated on defence.

While the US had traditionally sought to balance ties between India and Pakistan, which for years was an important partner in Afghanistan, more recently it has courted New Delhi to counter China.

“You have a neighbour, who joins hands with another neighbour, both of whom are against me,” Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in an interview in Washington Friday.

“In the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, God forbid, if there are alliances created, India has to be strong enough to protect itself.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has already conveyed this “unique” geopolitical position to the US, Sitharaman added.

A senior US diplomat on Thursday again warned China of sanctions if it offers “material support” for Putin’s war, while also pledging to help India end its dependence on Russian weapons.