Garcetti: No such thing as strategic autonomy during times of conflict
Strategic autonomy cannot apply in times of conflict and India and the US must uphold principles when other countries go against the rulesbased order or violate sovereign borders, US ambassador Eric Garcetti said on Thursday in a swipe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia.
Garcetti’s remarks, made at a conclave focused on the India-US defence partnership, came against the backdrop of the White House and the US state department expressing concern about India’s relationship with Russia.
Acknowledging New Delhi’s reliance on Moscow for spare parts for legacy Russian military hardware, Garcetti suggested India will have to choose between Russia and the US for meeting long-term military requirements.
“We understand there’s legacy equipment, you’ve got to be battle-ready, you need spare parts for that, but as you look at the future, we know where the best systems, the best weapons are coming from.” he said.
Garcetti said several times during his speech that both India and the US shouldn’t take their relationship for granted because “while it is wide and it is deeper than it’s ever been, it is not yet deep enough”. He also sought to compare Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the situation on India’s northern border, noting that the world has “witnessed countries who ignore sovereign borders”.
He said, “I don’t have to remind India how important borders are...That when we stand on those principles and stand together...we can show that principles are the guiding light of peace in our world and together the world’s two largest democracies can enhance the...stability of our region.”