'Wishful thinking, no impact on India-Russia relations,' Russian envoy on Xi's visit to Moscow
1 min read 23 Mar 2023, 04:36 PM ISTXi's visit to Russia came at a time when India and China relations are strained over LAC standoff
PremiumRussian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov on Thursday dismissed the geopolitical experts who claimed that the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russia will have a negative impact on India-Russia relations. Alipov termed all such claims as “wishful thinking."
"Profusion of analysis these days of the outcomes of Xi Jinping's Russia visit. The impression as though various reputable Indian experts almost dream of Russia-China ties harming Russia-India strategic alignment. A wishful thinking case in point," Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov tweeted on Thursday.
The developments came as Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his three-day visit to Russia where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin. Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the visit was seen in the light of repeated China's statement defending Russia's military actions on Ukraine.
The visit came at a time when India and China's relations are strained over the military deployments at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which has also turned violent at times. China has openly expressed displeasure about India's proximity to the United States and also criticizes any developments related to Indo-Pacific.
India has risked its international reputation and has not condemned Russia's actions on Ukraine. The relationship between both countries remained cordial and the trade is also increasing despite western sanctions. Russia is now India's largest oil supplier and in 2022, the bilateral trade between the two countries touched a record high of $31 billion.
Xi Jinping reportedly told the Russian President that he is convinced of the popular support Putin enjoys in Russia, ahead of a Presidential election next year. Vladimir Putin also praised China's growth trajectory and also said that Russia is "slightly envious" of the rapid development of China in recent decades.
Western countries reacted sharply to Xi's visit and asked China to press Russia to end its military campaign in Ukraine. "We hope President Xi uses this opportunity to press President (Vladimir) Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, schools, to halt some of these atrocities that we are seeing on a daily basis," UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said.
(With inputs from ANI)
