Hope friends like India won’t work around sanctions against Russia: German NSA

Ahead of Russian FM visit, Jens Plotner, other officials visit Delhi to stress need for common approach on Ukraine war

Germany would not “preach or teach” India about its position on Russia’s war in Ukraine but hoped that no “friendly country” would attempt to subvert sanctions put in place by the U.S., the European Union and partners against Russia, German Foreign and Security Advisor Jens Plotner said in Delhi on Wednesday.

Mr. Plotner, who met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his two-day visit said that while India had had some differences from the western countries on the war, he hoped that they could come to the “common conclusion” that Russia’s invasion, which he called a “blatant violation of international norms”, would not go “unchecked,” in his discussions in Delhi.

“Because, if this [Russian action] goes unchecked, I think it will be really devastating for all of us. And that is why I’m quite confident that although in the past there have been different ways of voting [at the United Nations], I do feel that that there is a solid basis of commonality of view with our friends in India,” Mr. Plotner told journalists on Wednesday prior to his meetings.

“We would we would very much like to see a situation where there is no backfilling on the sanctions that we operate and where no friendly country in the world takes the step of actually taking economic advantage of the war,” he said in response to a question from The Hindu about discussions between the Reserve Bank of India and Bank of Russia on building rupee-rouble payment mechanisms that would work around the sanctioned banks and financial entities so as to facilitate India-Russia trade and energy purchases.

The Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to the comments. In a tweet about meeting Mr. Plotner, Mr. Jaishankar said that “Understandably, our conversation focused around the Ukraine situation,” without giving any details. Government sources said New Delhi understood that the visit of Mr. Plotner and other high-level foreign dignitaries were for consultations on “ongoing bilateral, regional and multilateral issues,” but did not directly mention Ukraine.

“NSA [Doval] emphasised India’s consistent approach for the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law and our commitment to the U.N. Charter and the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all States,” sources said.

The discussions are likely to be taken up at the coming “6th Inter-Governmental Consultations” in early May, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Berlin for talks.