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Russian overseas ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova connected Friday powerfully defended India’s information successful the Zapad 2025 subject drills successful Belarus, lashing retired astatine Western disapproval and cautioning the European Union against trying to dictate presumption to sovereign states.“I would similar to accidental that I would similar not to remark connected the relationships betwixt 3rd countries, arsenic I person already noted, but I'm acceptable to remark connected the relations betwixt Russia and India successful particular. We are bound by beardown time-tested bonds of friendship. Our relations, I emphasize, are self-sufficient. Their genuinely inexhaustible imaginable is progressively realized for the payment of the peoples of some countries, careless of fluctuations successful the geopolitical environment,” Zakharova said during her play briefing successful Moscow.The Russian spokesperson underlined that the instauration of the “specially privileged strategical partnership” betwixt India and Russia rests connected communal respect, equality, and information of each other’s interests, and that it is aimed astatine promoting a “unifying, non-confrontational agenda” globally.
Russia rejects EU objections
Zakharova criticised the European Union and Nato allies for objecting to New Delhi’s relation successful the drills. “We invited New Delhi's information successful the Russian-Belarusian exercises.
Any alleged concerns expressed successful this respect from extracurricular are frankly unfounded and deliberately contrived. Essentially it is conscionable different signifier of brazen unit connected our Indian friends successful attempts to forbid them, ideate that, from cooperating, interacting and communicating with Russia,” she said.Questioning Western attempts to interfere successful India’s overseas argumentation choices, she asked: “When volition the West yet recognize the futility and frankly the ridiculousness of trying to dictate to states that prosecute a sovereign overseas argumentation course? That is of people an unfastened question, particularly erstwhile it comes to specified powers arsenic India.”Zakharova besides stressed that subject and military-technical practice betwixt New Delhi and Moscow “has ne'er been directed against 3rd countries” but has alternatively sought to “ensure nationalist information interests, fortify planetary stableness and peace.”
EU cautions India connected drills and lipid imports
The Russian defence comes successful the aftermath of pointed remarks from European Union overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas, who warned that India’s information successful Zapad 2025 and its continued acquisition of discounted Russian lipid could complicate the bloc’s negotiations for a escaped commercialized statement with New Delhi.“Participating successful subject exercises, purchases of lipid – each these are obstacles to our practice erstwhile it comes to deepening the ties,” Kallas said earlier this week. She added, however, that Brussels did not expect India to “completely decouple” from Russia.The EU, which is seeking to finalise a escaped commercialized woody with India by the extremity of 2025, views Moscow’s increasing subject exercises arsenic provocative. The Zapad manoeuvres, held jointly with Belarus and involving Russian allies specified arsenic Iran, are the archetypal since the commencement of Moscow’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022.The drills, staged partially adjacent Nato borders, person triggered heightened information measures successful Eastern Europe, with Poland precocious sealing its frontier with Belarus aft drone incidents.
India rejects EU criticism
India has pushed backmost against Brussels’ concerns, pointing retired that different Western nations person besides been associated with the drills. Ministry of outer affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal connected Friday told reporters that “several different countries including Nato countries specified arsenic the United States, Turkey and Hungary are besides oregon person besides participated successful this workout arsenic observers.”
He added that New Delhi’s information successful Zapad 2025 was accordant with its established subject engagements. The ministry of defence had earlier outlined that the Indian contingent, comprising 65 unit from the Army, Air Force and Navy, joined the multilateral workout astatine Nizhniy, Russia, from September 12-16.According to the ministry, the Indian squad included troops from the Kumaon Regiment and different arms, and the drills focused connected interoperability, associated tactics, counter-terrorism operations, and company-level accepted warfare missions.“The multilateral Exercise ZAPAD 2025 is aimed astatine enhancing subject cooperation, improving interoperability, and providing a level for participating armies to speech tactics, techniques and procedures successful the domains of accepted warfare and counter-terrorism operations,” the ministry said successful a statement.
Broader EU sanctions push
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen connected Friday projected caller sanctions targeting Moscow’s liquefied earthy state exports, shadiness lipid fleet, and large vigor companies.“It is clip to crook disconnected the pat connected LNG,” she said successful a video statement, urging the bloc’s 27 members to endorse the caller bundle swiftly. The EU has already imposed 18 rounds of sanctions since 2022, hitting implicit 2,500 entities and individuals, including President Vladimir Putin, Russian lawmakers, oligarchs, and state-owned firms.Von der Leyen insisted the measures were working, claiming Russia’s “overheated warfare system is coming to its limit.”
She besides said Brussels aimed to wholly signifier retired Russian LNG imports by January 2027.Foreign argumentation main Kaja Kallas added that beyond energy, the sanctions bundle should besides people those complicit successful “abducting Ukrainian children” to alleged re-education camps, calling the deportations “beyond description.”
Zapad 2025: Defensive drills oregon threat?
Russia has consistently maintained that Zapad exercises are antiaircraft successful nature. President Vladimir Putin has said the purpose is to “repel imaginable aggression against the Union State,” the political-military operation linking Russia and Belarus.Zakharova reiterated this line, saying the drills were meant to safeguard stableness and antagonistic aggression. She argued that the beingness of Nato observers should assistance “debunk Western myths astir the drills’ assertive nature.”However, successful Europe, the cognition remains wary. With Iran’s engagement and Russia’s heightened subject posturing, NATO allies presumption the manoeuvres arsenic a trial of Moscow’s readiness and intent amid ongoing struggle successful Ukraine.
India’s balancing act!
For India, information successful Zapad 2025 underscores its argumentation of strategical autonomy, maintaining ties with Russia portion deepening engagement with the United States and Europe.New Delhi has consistently defended its purchases of Russian oil, citing affordability and vigor security. Officials person besides maintained that subject practice with Moscow is longstanding and not aimed astatine immoderate 3rd country.At the aforesaid time, India continues to grow defence and commercialized ties with Western partners, including associated drills with the US, France, and Japan, and advancement successful escaped commercialized negotiations with the EU and UK.
