Concerns over China override Quad partners' differences with India on Russia, say analysts

The recent leaders' meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) on Tuesday showed that members appeared to have agreed to disagree on Russia for now, amid the larger focus on countering the rise of China, said analysts.

- Nirmala Ganapathy

India is the only Quad member that has refused to directly condemn Russia for the Ukraine war, even as it has asked for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urged a path of dialogue and diplomacy.

The South Asian nation, which of late has highlighted the importance of strategic autonomy in foreign policy, has continued to buy discounted oil from Russia, much to the dismay of the other Quad partners Australia, Japan and the United States that have rolled out tough sanctions against Russia.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said at a Tuesday briefing in Tokyo that there was a "good appreciation of the position that India has taken with regard to Ukraine" among the Quad.

That India would hold different views from its Quad partners on Russia or other areas was unsurprising, even as it sought to work closely with other Quad members to counter China's rapid global ascendance and Beijing's increasingly aggressive foreign policy, observers said.