"Deeply Disappointing": US Criticises India Over Russia Talks

India's middle-ground position on the war has left to a raft of diplomacy in the past few weeks, with China's foreign minister visiting for the first time since 2019 and now Lavrov seeking to shore up support.

The U.S. and Australia criticized India for considering a Russian proposal that would undermine sanctions imposed by America and its allies, showing a deepening rift between the emerging security partners as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov traveled to Delhi for talks.

"Now is the time to stand on the right side of history, and to stand with the United States and dozens of other countries, standing up for freedom, democracy and sovereignty with the Ukrainian people, and not funding and fueling and aiding President Putin's war," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. She called reports of the arrangement "deeply disappointing," while adding that she hadn't seen details.

Dan Tehan, Australia's trade minister who also spoke at the briefing, said it was important for democracies to work together "to keep the rules-based approach that we've had since the second world war."

The comments reflect growing unease with India among fellow members of the Quad, a group of democracies seeking to counter China's assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region that also includes the U.S., Australia and Japan. India is the world's largest buyer of Russian weapons, and has also sought to buy cheap oil as fuel prices surge.