New Delhi, The US could take a big step towards reducing India’s dependence on Russia for arms. It is considering providing િયન 500 million in military aid to India.
Citing people familiar with the developments, Bloomberg said the US intends to strengthen its defense ties with India by providing such a large sum of money.
If India receives this amount, it will become the largest recipient of military aid from the US after Israel and Egypt. The developments come at a time when India is going to deploy Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, ignoring alleged US resentment.
Bloomberg quoted a senior US official as saying that the US intention behind the move was to reduce India’s dependence on Russia for arms. India is the largest buyer of Russian arms in the world.
According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a global watchdog on arms sales, India has bought સા 2 billion worth of military equipment from Russia over the past decade. It has bought only ૪ 3 billion worth of weapons from the United States.
India is compelled to buy weapons in the face of threats from neighboring China and Pakistan. India has reduced its arms purchases from Russia, but most of India’s military imports still come from Russia. All these countries have banned it. As India has so far taken a neutral stance.
Despite all US efforts, India has not directly criticized Russia over its attack on Ukraine. Despite all appeals to sever ties with Russia, India is buying oil from it at cheaper prices. The US was initially annoyed with this but now it has resorted to enticing India as a major security ally.
