US in ‘deep talks’ with India about reducing reliance on Russian arms and oil

India said its position stems from its own beliefs and interests, and would not bow to international pressure

Putin and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 16 September 2022 (Reuters)

The US is in “deep talks” with India over loosening its dependency on Russia for its weapons and energy, a US state department official said.

Indian representatives are also starting to realise that there “could be real benefits for them” in diversifying since Moscow is no longer a reliable partner while it remains engaged in a war with Ukraine, said the official.

“India is heavily, heavily dependent on Russia, and that’s something that they did to themselves over some 40 years: first their military and then their energy dependence,” the official said, according to CNN.