US Deputy NSA who crafted sanctions against Russia to visit India today ere 2+2 dialogue

US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh is scheduled to visit India for two days starting today, that is, March 30, ANI reported. Singh, who played a key role in crafting Washington’s sanctions against Moscow amidst its war on Ukraine, will hold talks with Indian lawmakers during the visit that comes ahead of the 2+2 dialogue between India and the US. His visit also comes at the same time as that of Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, who will arrive in New Delhi on March 31.

Interestingly, Singh was one of the first to identify Moscow’s dependence on foreign capital and technology. Taking advantage of the same, he helped to coordinate sanctions on Russia's central bank, as the US, EU, UK and Canada prohibited their banks from doing business with the Russian central bank. Later,  Singh remarked, "No entity as large as the Russian Central Bank, nor so important to the global economy, had been sanctioned in modern times."

Confirming his visit to India, US National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said that Singh will deliberate on a range of issues related to India-US strategic and economic partnership. With a prime focus on a free and open Indo-pacific, Singh will hold talks with Indian officials to deepen cooperation to promote inclusive growth and prosperity. However, an important part of the talks would focus on the Russo-Ukrainian war and mitigating its impact on the global economy. Just a day earlier, a US representative at UNSC, accused Moscow of triggering a global food crisis.

A statement on the visit read, "Singh will consult closely with counterparts on the consequences of Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine and mitigating its impact on the global economy. Singh will also discuss the priorities of the Biden Administration, including the promotion of high-quality infrastructure through Build Back Better World and the development of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework". 

What is India’s stance on sanctions?

New Delhi has always maintained its stance against unilateral sanctions and despite pressures from the west, it has stopped short of banning Russian imports, oligarchs and businesses. Notably, it did concede to US pressure to ban Iranian oil imports in the past. In 2019, at a time, when India was Iran’s second-largest buyer after China. The Islamic Republic was India’s third-largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia, accounting for about 10 per cent of the country’s needs. This move resulted in China lapping up the excess discounted oil in supply with Iran now being more dedicated to the Chinese market. Cutting down on Iranian oil had plenty of repercussions back home where oil price has skyrocketed since.

(Image: AP)