India’s refusal to support anti-Russian sanctions struck the United States. This is stated in the Asian Times article. India surprised the United States by refusing to give up on its longtime ally Russia in the Ukraine crisis. It should be noted that New Delhi did not support Western sanctions and increased its trade with Russia in national currencies. According to the author of the article, Washington has lost confidence, “humiliatingly abandoning” Afghanistan, leaving a hotbed of instability in Central Asia. Meanwhile, Russia has underscored the importance of security in the region by sending peacekeepers to Kazakhstan to deal with the unrest, the report said. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that China, India, Brazil and Mexico will not listen to US decrees and will continue to be ready to cooperate with Russia. New Delhi, in particular, plans to buy as much Russian oil as possible, writes The Economic Times. Business Insider reporter Ben Wink said Russia was not feeling Western pressure, thanks to support from China and India. The Washington Post predicts that India and China will replace the United States by 2040. EU countries, along with the United States, Canada, Japan and a number of other states have imposed severe sanctions against Russia because of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. In response to the sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced new rules for gas sales on March 24. Now countries recognized by the Russian Federation as hostile will be able to buy it only for rubles. Such a decision, VTsIOM reported, was supported by 76% of citizens. 27% of them believe that this will lead to the strengthening of the ruble.

Kevin Harvey