Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday that India was abstained from the voting at the sad UN resolution of the Russian invasion of Ukraine when the country bought military equipment from Moscow. India Abstain at the UN Security Council Resolution sponsored by US in February which adjusts “in the strongest term” “aggression” of Russia against Ukraine, with New Delhi said dialogue was the only answer to resolve differences and disputes.
The resolution did not pass since the permanent Russian members and the President of the Security Council for February use Veto. “India, China, Vietnam, and Laos Abstain from voting at the UN resolution that underestimated the Russian invasion of Ukraine due to various considerations. India, for example, bought military equipment from Russia, “Lee said in Mandarin at the annual address to Singaporeans.
He said being the smallest country in ASEAN, Singapore’s interests and considerations were naturally different from the others. This is why Singapore not only explicitly condemns the Russian invasion but also goes further to impose our own targeted sanctions against Russia,” he said. Lee said Singapore did not side with the United States or Russia when condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Singapore must be strong in its position and defend the basic principles strongly, he said, added that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, large or small, must be respected, he said. Singapore consistently opposed the idea that “might be true”, said Lee, quoting Singapore’s voting at the United Nations against the US in 1983, when America invaded Grenada, as well as Singapore’s opposition to the Vietnam invasion to Cambodia in 1978. “Nobody will speak for Singapore if we are attacked one day if we do not stand firm and take a clear attitude towards the Ukraine crisis,” he said.
In March, India Abstain from the UN Security Council for the voting in the Russian resolution draft about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Russia and China chose to support the Russian resolution, which did not make a reference for invasion to Ukraine, while India was among the 13 abstaining countries. India had previously abstained on two occasions on the Security Council and once in the General Assembly on Resolution on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Unlike many other leading Western forces, India has not criticized Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine and absent from the votes on the UN platform in condemning Russian aggression.
India faced criticism from US parliament members, both republic and Democrats, because they chose to distance themselves from the United Nations voice to reprimand Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi has a strong defense with Moscow. In October 2018, India signed an agreement of USD 5 billion with Russia to buy five units of the Triumf S-400 air defense missile system to increase air defense, although there was a warning from the administration that Trump was running with the May contract, the US sanction was invited.
The US has imposed sanctions on Turkey under Caatsa to purchase a number of S-400 missile defense systems from Russia. Apart from the strong objection from the US and the threat of sanctions from the Biden administration, India has refused to make changes in its decision and continue to purchase the missile defense system.