Admiral John Aquilino, who is going to be the next commander of the US Army’s Indo-Pacific Command, has given his opinion on India-Russia Relations. Speaking at the US Congress, he said that America needs to understand that India has an old relationship with Russia for security cooperation and military equipment. During a hearing in the US Congress to confirm his name, Admiral Aquilino also talked about not banning India from buying the S-400 Missile System.
Admiral John Aquilino openly spoke on Indo-Russian relations at the hearing to confirm his name as the next commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command. The admiral indicated that he would try to alienate India from Russia instead of resorting to sanctions to buy major defense equipment. Senator Jean Shaheen asked Aquilino, “Should we ban India if they buy the S-400?”
India a great partner: Admiral
In response to this, the Admiral said, I think I will leave this decision to the policy makers. I think we should understand where we stand with India and I think the move to provide alternatives is much better. He said, India is truly a great partner and as we saw in the recent quad talks, I think the importance of India and other countries in the quad will increase. Our relationship is balanced. However, India has an old relationship with Russia for security cooperation and military equipment.
Will motivate India to buy American weapons: Admiral
Admiral said, if my name is confirmed then I will work towards motivating India to buy American weapons. On a question by Senator Debra Fischer, Aquilino said that the work or efforts India has made to protect its northeast border amidst the deadlock with China is remarkable. Significantly, regarding the ongoing tension along the border with China, America has consistently said that this aggressive attitude of China is not right.
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