Truth Truth and Truth comments

Simian Lane,

You need to understand India's history and how the west and US treated India for last 70 years.

1) India need not take sides as it is not India's problem. India has actually sent a lot of help to Ukraine against Russia's wish. India has been speaking both the presidents to find out a mutual solution.

2) India forged a relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. That has carried over into the present day because of mutual interest and nostalgia, but the biggest reason is defence.

3) After India's independence from the British rule in 1947, there was noone to help India. Immediately after the independence, a weak India lost 1962 war with China. US at that time decided to take Pakistan as its strategic ally, so India was left with the remaining super power USSR.

You need to remember that Pakistan (a new country) was formed out of India on the basis of religion. Pakistan i.e. the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was formed and America helped it overwhelmingly.

4) In 1971 India’s war with Pakistan, US President Richard Nixon had a terrible idea. Under the pretext of evacuating American citizens from the warzone, Nixon ordered the US Seventh Fleet’s Task Force 74, led by the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Enterprise, to proceed towards the Bay of Bengal to threaten India!!! Do you think India can forget these actions? Can you really trust America?

USSR helped India: On 6 and 13 December 1971, the Soviet Navy dispatched two groups of cruisers and destroyers and a submarine armed with nuclear missiles from Vladivostok; they trailed US Task Force 74 into the Indian Ocean from 18 December 1971 until 7 January 1972. The Soviets also had a nuclear submarine to help ward off the threat posed by USS Enterprise task force in the Indian Ocean.

USSR helped India when it mattered the most.

5) India has a big neighbour called as - CHINA. There are so many cases of Chinese aggression on the eastern side of India's border. Noone used to give arms to India against China when India needed them badly to defend itself.

So India had to go nuclear because of big brother China as neighbour. When India conducted its defensive nuclear test in 1998, US, Ukraine and EU - EVERYONE sanctioned India. It was Russia that saved India in the security council using Russia Veto power. YES, you read it correctly. UKRAINE voted for sanctions against India.

(India also lost a war with China in 1962, and lost kilometres of kilometres area to China. Remember Tibet actually used to be part of India, and till date many Hindu's travel to Tibet for religious tours).

6) Every time a UN resolution was passed against India, it was only USSR / Russia that helped India against all odds.

7) For more than 5000 years, India has NEVER been an aggressor, in fact India used to be a country from present day Afghanistan to Indonesia, to Cambodia/Thailand. Because of invaders, India has shrunk to its present day form. And Indians see Russia as their true friend in difficult times.

8) In early 2021, when India was struggling to get the vaccines, countries like US kept its vaccines to itself (fair enough). But Russia promptly sent its vaccine Sputnik to India along with huge supply of Oxygen concentrators.

60% of India's defence machinery comes from Russia.

9) If there is No Russia, can someone guarantee that US will come to help India if China does any aggression on India's border? Who can help India? When a war is started everyone just does a lip service, but India has to defend itself with 2 countries Pakistan and China on west and east side border respectively. India has had multiple wars with these 2 countries.

It is very easy to sit in a AC room and comment on India, however none of you have borders right next to China.

With so much help from USSR / Russia for 70+ years, and with no one else to help India - what do you expect India to do?

Well, India has NOT supported Russia, it has only abstained from taking any sides. 

(Over a period of Time, India’s relationship with QUAD, and US has drastically improved. Indians do have sympathy for Ukraine, and whatever is happening is not right, but if India can never go against Russia with above complex situation)