Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea India may lose G-7 summit

BERLIN: India under Modi has been caught between the devil and the deep blue sea over its ‘’s reluctance to condemn Russia for
invading Ukraine’ as after direct rebuke by the United States, now Germany is also debating whether to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven summit it’s hosting in June, reported Bloomberg.

Germany is set to include Senegal, South Africa and Indonesia as guests at the meeting in Bavaria, but India remains under consideration, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential matters. One of the people said India had been on a list drawn up before the war in Ukraine started, and a final decision hadn’t been taken, the Bloomberg report added.

India was among the more than 50 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, and has not imposed sanctions on Moscow. It is a significant buyer of Russian weapons.

Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin would present its list of guest attendees as soon as it is finalized.

“The chancellor has repeatedly made clear that he would like to see as many international partners as possible joining the sanctions,”
Hebestreit said. A foreign ministry spokesperson declined to comment.

G-7 nations have taken the lead in pursuing sanctions against Russia and some have sent weapons to Ukraine.

Data suggested an increase in Russian oil deliveries to India since the late February invasion. This had not gone unnoticed in the chancellery, the report quoted sources as having said.

India has said it will continue to buy Russian oil and Russia has been offering deliveries at a significantly discounted rate. The government
in New Delhi also plans to boost exports to Russia by an additional $2 billion as the two nations work out a payment system in local currencies to continue trade. TF REPORT