Indian-American Congressman Urges India To Condemn Putin Over Ukraine War

Ro Khanna said that India must stop importing oil from Russia and China

Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna.

(Photo: Twitter/Ro Khanna)

A prominent Indian American Congressman said on Sunday, 27 March, that India “ought to be condemning” Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and should stop importing oil from Russia and China.

Ro Khanna, who represents the Silicon Valley in the US House of Representatives, has been vocal in criticising India’s policies with Russia.

In an interview with Fox News, Khanna said that India must now pick sides. He said:

“I've been clear actually on India, and I think India ought to be condemning Putin and India ought not to be getting oil from Russia or China. We ought to rally the world to isolate Putin.”

‘Need India as Ally To Contain China’

He asserted that the United States supported India when China invaded the country “not Putin", and added that India should buy its weapons from the US and not Russia.

Khanna said, “We need India as an ally ultimately to contain China.”

India has repeatedly abstained from voting on a UN resolution on Ukraine although reiterating the need for peace talks between the warring countries.

In the fifth round of voting in Belarus on 23 March, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative R Ravindra had raised his hand to record the abstention but did not speak either on the resolution or explain the decision to abstain from voting.

India had earlier abstained in the Council on two procedural votes related to Ukraine and on a resolution condemning Moscow's invasion that was vetoed by Russia.

(With inputs from PTI.)