Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that Western countries were trying to escalate tensions by pitting India and China against each other.

Lavrov had said, "Western countries have started calling Asia-Pacific as Indo-Pacific. It is clear that the West is promoting anti-China policy. This is to increase the conflict between our good friend India and neighbouring China. Western countries want to establish their dominance in this region. President Putin had described this policy of the West as 'divide and rule'.

This is not the first time that the Russian Foreign Minister has criticized the role of the West in India-China relations.

Earlier in December 2020, Lavrov had also said, "The West wants to restore a unipolar world. But Russia and China will not be subservient to it. India is currently a pawn of anti-China policy due to the organization of Western countries like Quad in the Asia-Pacific. Western countries also want to weaken the relations between Russia and India."

This month, when India and Pakistan were attacking each other's territory, it was expected that the member countries of the Quad would support India but this did not happen. One argument given for this is that the Quad is not a security alliance.

Former Indian diplomat Rajiv Dogra says that Lavrov's comment can be interpreted to mean that he is warning India but calling Asia Pacific as Indo Pacific is not such a big deal.

Rajiv Dogra says that China keeps changing the names of areas of Arunachal Pradesh every day.

Asia Pacific vs. Indo-Pacific

Rajiv Dogra says, "After the war with Ukraine started in February 2022, Russia has become more aggressive towards the West. In such a situation, Russia also looks at the relations of other countries with the West from this perspective.

Dr. Rajan Kumar, Associate Professor at the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University, says, "Lavrov is warning India on one hand and on the other hand Russia is also afraid that India's dependence on it may end. India's dependence on Russia in terms of military supplies has decreased. India is also shifting towards the West in terms of military supplies. This trend will increase further in the coming times."

Between 2009 and 2013, 76 percent of India's arms imports were from Russia but between 2019 and 2023, it has declined by 36 percent.

India's trade with Russia has increased during the war with Ukraine, but this increase is due to India's energy imports. Last year, there was a trade of $66 billion between the two countries, but 40 percent of it was Russian oil and 36 percent was Russian weapons.

Dr. Rajan Kumar says, "The West feels that if China has to be controlled, then India is an important country. On the other hand, India feels that if it has to respond to China's aggression on the border, then the help of the West is necessary. In such a situation, the Russian Foreign Minister believes that the West is trying to create tension between India and China."

Dr. Kumar says, "India cannot depend on Russia. If we have to face China, Russia will not prove to be helpful. Russia did not help India in the 1962 war. Now Russia itself has become China's junior partner. Russia's dependence on China is more. In such a situation, it is not possible for India to limit its relations with the West on Russia's behest."

Dr. Rajan Kumar says, "Even when Russia was the Soviet Union, it used to call Indo Pacific as Asia Pacific, whereas America has been calling it Indo-Pacific."

When China attacked India in 1962, the Soviet Union was very close to India. At that time there was rivalry between China and the Soviet Union to control the third world.

China vs. Russia

Swedish author Bertil Lintner writes in his book China's India War, "The rivalry between the Soviet Union and China began in the 1950s. In 1960, at the Congress of the Communist Party of Romania, there was a debate between the then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and the Politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party, Peng Chen."

"Khrushchev described Mao as a nationalist, adventurer and deviationist (one who deviated from the communist principles). Peng, on the other hand, called Khrushchev a male chauvinist, autocratic and despotic. Peng accused Khrushchev of betraying Marxism and Leninism. In response, Khrushchev recalled 1400 experts and technicians of the Soviet Union from China. Khrushchev cancelled more than 200 projects of the Soviet Union in China."

Bertil Lintner has written, "At the beginning of the war between China and India, the Soviet Union's stance was cautious. Although Khrushchev sympathized with India, the Soviet Union did not want to risk China's displeasure. On the other hand, India's then Defense Minister Vengalil Krishna Menon was considered to be inclined towards the Soviet Union, but he had to resign for not preparing for the 1962 war."

Menon resigned in the midst of the India-China war in 1962. Nehru temporarily kept the Defence Ministry with himself. The Soviet Union had been supplying arms to India before the war but was in a dilemma during the war.

Mohan Ram, a journalist and expert on India-China relations, wrote, "The Soviet Union had requested China to stop military action and offered mediation. India was also ready for this. The Soviet Union had tried its best to prevent India from going to the US and Britain's side in times of crisis. India's policy of being non-aligned for years fell flat and it had to seek help from capitalist countries during the Chinese attack."

Mohan Ram has written in his book Politics of China-India Confrontation that Russia was worried about Krishna Menon's resignation from the Indian government.

Mohan Ram writes, "The Soviet Union regretted losing one of its trusted friends among Indian leaders, Menon, due to the Chinese attack."

Mohan Ram has written, "Nikita Khrushchev was neutral even during the India-China border clash in 1959 and China was very angry about this. When the war started in 1962, China talked to the leaders of the Soviet Union. China said that the Indian bourgeoisie is a follower of imperialism, so the leaders of the Soviet Union should condemn it. The Soviet refused to do so. When the war ended on December 12, Khrushchev came in support of India and said, 'We reject the fact that India wanted war with China.'"

Bertil Lintner has written that China forced India to seek help from America and on the other hand brought the Soviet Union into the anti-China camp. This was a masterstroke that made China the leader of the third world.

Dr. Rajan Kumar says, "When there was rivalry between the Soviet Union and China, it did not help India. Now when Russia is dependent on China, expecting help is futile. There are many classified documents which show that Nehru had sought help from Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev (in 1962) but he had refused."

"In such a situation, how can Russia complain about India getting closer to the West? Despite the rivalry, the Soviet Union and China were ideologically close and Nikita Khrushchev did not want to upset Mao. At that time many people had also started raising questions on foreign policy that what was the benefit of being non-aligned?''

Bertil Lintner has written in his book quoting Roderick MacFarquhar, "Nehru sought help from the West in times of need but was unsuccessful. In such a situation, India's non-aligned image was affected both in the communist camp and the third world."

In the case of Ukraine, Russia wants India to be completely with it and the West wants it to be completely against Russia. But India is trying to be seen as being against the violation of sovereignty and also with Russia.

Russia's current stance on Pakistan is also being viewed in this light.

America keeps complaining that India is not able to come out of the Russian shadow and Russia keeps complaining that India is becoming an anti-China pawn for the West.

This can be seen as India's growing relevance and also as a dilemma of international politics.

In April 2022, the then US Deputy National Security Advisor Dalip Singh visited India and had threatened that if China crossed the LoC, Russia would not come to help.

This month, when India took military action in Pakistan and Pakistan retaliated, neither the West nor Russia openly stood with India, whereas China stood completely with Pakistan.