US Is Apprehensive About Any Nation, Including India, Exercising With Russia During Ukraine War

The White House expressed its concerns about any country participating in military drills with Russia, which started a “unprovoked and barbarous” war against Ukraine, on Tuesday after Moscow stated the Vostok 2022 drills would feature more than 50,000 troops from China, India, and many other nations.

The Vostok 2022 military exercises, which will include more than 50,000 troops from China, India, and many other countries, were announced by Russia on Monday. They will take place from September 1 to 7 in several locations in the Far East and the Sea of Japan.

According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, the exercises will give the armies of the participating countries the chance to “practise defensive and offensive operations” at seven Eastern Military District training facilities as well as in maritime and coastal regions of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.

The statement added that it would involve troops from China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria, and several former Soviet states. “The strategic manoeuvres will bring together over 50,000 troops and more than 5,000 items of armaments and military hardware, in particular, 140 aircraft, 60 combat ships, gunboats, and support vessels,” it said.

White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre underlined that the US had communicated its concerns when questioned about the military exercises conducted by Russia.

“Any nation that engages in joint exercises with Russia while that nation is waging a savage, unprovoked war against Ukraine raises concerns for the United States. Naturally, each participating nation will make its own choices. And with that, I’ll sign off “On Tuesday, she told reporters while flying in Air Force One.

Jean-Pierre said, “My first line there is saying that we have concerns regarding any country exercising with Russia when Russia is doing this unwarranted war,” when she was specifically questioned why “not put any pressure on India.”

The press secretary responded, “I don’t have anything else to share,” when the reporter inquired further about if the US intended to take any action or do anything about it.

However, she added, “We have been really open about it; I’ve had this topic with other nations as well, and we’ve been relatively consistent in our remarks.

The Indian Army and the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi have not yet responded to the presence of Indian soldiers during the Vostok-2022 military drills in Russia.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the country’s military participation in the drills would include military command centres, Eastern Military District soldiers, Airborne Force units, and long-range and military transport aircraft.

The exercises, according to the ministry, “are designed to hone the abilities of commanders and headquarters in exercising command and control of combined arms and coalition forces to repel acts of aggression in the Eastern direction and in the Far Eastern maritime zone, raise compatibility and interoperability of the collation forces in jointly coping with the objectives of maintaining peace, protecting interests, and ensuring military security in the Eastern region.”

India participated in the Exercise ZAPAD 2021 exercises in Russia last year, along with 17 other nations, including China and Pakistan. The participating forces will rehearse maintaining military security in the eastern region, according to a previous statement from the Russian defence ministry.