India is under growing pressure from its Quad alliance partners to take a stronger position against Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Australia raised the issue at a bilateral meeting, days after it figured prominently in talks with Japan.
“The tragic loss of lives underlines the importance to hold Russia to account,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in opening remarks ahead of Monday’s meeting with his counterpart Narendra Modi.
“The cooperation of like-minded liberal democracies is key to an open, inclusive, resilient and prosperous Indo-Pacific.” Modi did not comment on Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.
India has stood out, as a major democracy, over its reluctance to censure Moscow. While New Delhi has supported calls for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution, it abstained at the United Nations on votes for draft resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion.
Canberra, an outspoken critic of the war, has responded with deliveries of military and humanitarian aid to the government in Kyiv.
Morrison is the second Quad partner in the last few days to push New Delhi to take a sharper stand. Over the weekend, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for more cooperation between democracies, while noting Putin’s war has “shaken the global order”.
“There was serious concern about the humanitarian tragedy and the need for an immediate end of violence,” Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told reporters after the meeting. “There is an understanding of India’s position in the Quad grouping,” he added.
Monday’s meeting was the second virtual summit held between the two countries in recent years; Morrison and Modi met remotely in June 2020, after being forced to postpone an in-person meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Australia and India have strengthened ties in recent years amid shared concerns over Beijing’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region. Both nations are also founding members of the Quad security partnership, along with Japan and the US.
India has been in a two-year border conflict with China along their Himalayan frontier, with both sides amassing troops, tanks and artillery guns.
Australia’s relations with Beijing have grown increasingly frosty in recent years. After Morrison called for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19 in April 2020, Australian exports began to encounter difficulties entering Chinese ports.
There were news reports Monday’s summit would be used to announce the first stages of a free-trade agreement between the two countries.
However, Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell said on Sunday the deal was more likely to occur later in March.
Both leaders expressed hope the deal would come through soon.