INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
apply any pressure on India to engage with the Euro-Atlantic alliance, said US Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith
to the Group under its presidency
While Smith ruled out any expansion of NATO membership into the Indo-Pacific, she said the alliance is open to engagement with countries in
the region the way it has engaged with Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand, countries that have shown interest, as she
We have tried over many months to get Russia to stop the war
We have used unprecedented sanctions
We have isolated Russia on the world stage
We have warned them about the dangers of escalation and most importantly, we have reminded them that they are violating the core principles
of the UN Charter as it relates to sovereignty and territorial integrity
Sadly, the Russians have not stopped this war
Not only are they battling Ukrainian forces, but they are pursuing these indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure
They are also targeting grain storage facilities and trying to starve or likely freeze over the winter Ukrainians to make it harder for
citizens to go about their everyday lives
So, our support will continue
The counter-offensive has been underway for the past couple of months
The Ukrainians have made some very important advances over the past few weeks, but we do anticipate that the weather will change soon
It will become much muddier in Ukraine and for that reason some of the fighting will slow down
We are very much hoping that the Russians do not return to the tactics they pursued last winter
And so, we want to help the Ukrainians prepare for a possible cold winter as wellMoscow believes its position on the war has been vindicated
How does that help in convincing Russia to end the war? Also, what do you make of the assessment by Indian authorities that the G20
consensus on Ukraine could provide a pathway to resolving the conflict?Couple of things on that front
Let me thank India for its presidency of G20
We appreciate the leadership India has provided
I also want to thank India for the important humanitarian assistance that it is providing to Ukraine
I think collectively the G20 agreed that it is important to protect those 2 principles
The consensus among the G20 was that we must uphold international law and protect the UN Charter
Russia is clearly violating the UN Charter at the moment, and we take comfort from the fact that the global community seems concerned about
what Russia is doing, both for its direct aggression against Ukrainian forces and people and because of what they are fundamentally doing to
Our perspective is that India appreciates and G20 members appreciate that and collectively we all want this war to end.You have wanted India
to take the initiative for any engagement with NATO
Do you notice any willingness now? Also, do you see India playing any sort of role in ending the war?Well, NATO remains open minded about
Should they be interested in dialogue with NATO allies as some of the like-minded democracies with shared values, we would be open to that
We could foresee engagement on a couple of different issues
India might find it helpful to share our collective experiences in dealing with climate security and climate change
Maybe we could have a conversation about non-proliferation, maritime security, cyber security
But again, no pressure from the NATO side
India showed a willingness to do that but sadly none of the efforts that have been pursued till now have succeeded in convincing the
intentions and military buildup
Looking ahead, and beyond the partnership with countries like Japan, Australia New Zealand and South Korea, what sort of role do you see
NATO playing to facilitate efforts to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific where the rule of law is followed?Well, I want to be
clear that NATO is a Euro-Atlantic alliance and will remain so
NATO is not looking to expand its membership into the Indo-Pacific
All that said, we do have some formal partners in the Indo-Pacific
These are 4 countries that have expressed interest in partnering with the NATO alliance, not joining it
the deepening relationship between China and Russia
bilaterally, separate from NATO, the US is also working with India through Quad in the Indo-Pacific and that provides us a formal process
and structure to work with our friends in India to benefit from their knowledge and expertise and to learn from and share things with each
other as we all work to bring peace and stability to the Indo-Pacific and keep it free and open
So, we will continue to look for bilateral engagements with India, we will continue to work with them though Quad and going forward, if
or will they have to wait for now?Ukraine has the right to defend its territory
Again, Russia could end the war today if it so desired and so till that happens, I think there will be a collection of countries including
the US and allies who are willing to assist Ukraine as they defend their territory
We are not putting troops in Ukraine, and we are not party to the conflict, but we believe they have a right to self-defense as stated in
On their membership aspirations, NATO has been quite clear
We have said that their future place is in NATO and in 2008 we said they will ultimately become a member of the alliance
But right now, while there is a full-scale war unfolding on their territory, we believe the most important thing we can be doing is to
provide practical assistance so that they can end the war and get Russia out of its territory
Over the long term, we all collectively see that Ukraine will someday become a member of the alliance and we were able to reaffirm that when
we just had the summit in Vilnius 2 months ago.
