‘Beyond ridiculous’: Expert questions why US persistently blames India, rather than Putin for Ukraine war

The persistent blaming of India by the US rather than blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin over the continued Ukraine war is “beyond ridiculous”, said former advisor to US secretaries and expert on Asian markets and governments, Evan A Feigenbaum. This comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticised the India-EU trade deal. 

“This persistent refrain that the war in Ukraine is somehow happening ‘because of India’ rather than because of Vladimir Putin is beyond ridiculous. Nor is Russian oil the only issue between the United States and India. The fact is, these guys have tanked 25 years of bipartisan work to build the US-India relationship, including in Trump's own first term,” he said.

Feigenbaum blamed the US for repoliticising what had become a depoliticising relationship in both New Delhi and Washington. “And they have allowed objections to third-country partnerships to bleed back into bilateral relations in ways that were absolutely unthinkable when, for example, I worked on US-India relations under President George W. Bush, including deep involvement with the civil nuclear deal. I warned about this nonsensical approach back in August and this kind of self-congratulation suggests they still don't get it,” he said. 

In criticising the India-Europe deal, Bessent said the Europeans are now backing the Russia-Ukraine war. He said, due to this deal, the revenue is still reaching Moscow but through a different route. Bessent’s comments come just ahead of the announcement of the India-EU trade deal. 

"We have put 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India," Bessent said, adding that Russian oil will now go to India, the refined products will come out, and the Europeans will buy said refined products, thereby financing the war against themselves.

Meanwhile, the India-EU trade deal, set to be announced after 18 years of negotiations, is aimed at boosting economic ties between the two regions amid disruptions in global trade due to US tariffs. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal called this free trade agreement (FTA) "the mother of all deals" the country has signed so far.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen landed in India on January 24 for a four-day visit, along with.President of the European Council Antonio Costa.