How PM Modi Is Countering Pressure To Speak Against Putin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is facing more pressure from fellow members of the Quad to help push Russia toward a ceasefire.

For all the success of the US-led campaign to isolate Russia on the world stage, India has stood out as one major democracy that has been reluctant to criticise Vladimir Putin -- and billions of dollars in weapons purchases mean that's unlikely to change anytime soon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is facing more pressure from fellow members of the Quad -- the US, Japan and Australia -- to help push Russia toward a ceasefire. After meeting PM Modi in New Delhi on Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for more cooperation between democracies while noting Putin's war has "shaken the global order." PM Modi, by contrast, only spoke on economic issues.

PM Modi is slated to hold a virtual summit later on Monday with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, while US Undersecretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland -- who has helped coordinate the American response to Ukraine -- is expected to visit New Delhi later this week.

India, the world's largest buyer of Russian weapons, plans to push back by arguing the purchases are necessary to counter China's growing military assertiveness and its other neighbor, Pakistan. Modi's government will also say the alternatives to Russian weapons are too expensive, according to people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak with the media.