“There are countries that have long-standing, decades-long relationships with Russia, with the Soviet Union before, that are challenging to break off in one fell swoop. It’s not flipping a light switch, it’s moving an aircraft carrier,” Blinken said in an interview with The Atlantic, marking the one-year anniversary of the war.
India has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow after Russian invaded Ukraine. New Delhi has thus far resisted that pressure, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and its economic and oil needs.
Russia has been India’s largest weapons supplier since the Soviet Union days. However, Washington in recent years has looked to woo New Delhi away from its traditional military supplier. India is desperate to modernise its largely Soviet-era fighter jet fleet to boost its air power after concerns over Russian supply delays due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“India for decades had Russia at the core of providing military equipment to it and its defences, but what we’ve seen over the last few years is a trajectory away from relying on Russia and moving into partnership with us and other countries,” Blinken said.
Blinken also added that he understood the reasons for South Africa’s ties with Russia while acknowledging regret for Washington’s “sympathetic” approach to the apartheid-era regime in South Africa.
The African National Congress, which has governed South Africa since white minority rule ended in 1994, had strong ties to the former Soviet Union, which trained and supported anti-apartheid activists during the Cold War. Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero, who died in 2013 and was a global icon, was regarded with suspicion by Washington during the Cold War and was even on the US terrorism watch list in that era.
“The Soviet Union was supportive of the freedom forces in South Africa and, of course, unfortunately, more than unfortunately, the United States was much too sympathetic to the apartheid regime, so that history also doesn’t get erased, you know, overnight, it’s a process,” Blinken said.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis.)
Oh for goodness sake!
Either you’re in or you’re out….there’s no such thing as moving away slowly from Russia – that’s just another CR and ANC “porky”. This from a party who still call each other “Comrade!”
A leopard never changes its spots and nor does an ANC politician!
If SA is serious about moving away, then show some balls Cyrill and do what Luna did at the last vote! Abstain from abstaining for a start!
Apologies…Lula of Brazil, not Luna ( must have been subconsciously thinking of Putin the LUNAtic!
I must say, then the anc has a funny way of moving away from mad Vlad. They are participating in war games with China and Russia in out territorial waters right now, and a few weeks ago they allowed a Russian ship access to the Simon Town’s port under cover of darkness, with cargo being unloaded and loaded under armed guard . Some moving away.
And why are we denied information about that incident. Are our journalists on it, given that the anc is silent as a tomb?
@Jane Crankshaw Crankshaw, lol! you are over yourself on this issue. Take a chill pill. SA is a sovereign country and takes decisions based on its own interests. If Secretary Blinken fully understands that then surely you should too.
“Blinken also added that he understood the reasons for South Africa’s ties with Russia while acknowledging regret for Washington’s “sympathetic” approach to the apartheid-era regime in South Africa.” If a foreign Secretary of State can acknowledge this crucial point then why do you want to make all of us European war apologies? Hell NO!!