Rahul backs India's position on Ukraine

U.S. VISIT - STANFORD UNIVERSITY

- Prashant Jha

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi backed the Indian government's stance on the Russian war in Ukraine, said that democratic world had failed to come up with a vision to counter the non-democratic vision of China, and called for a new system of production and manufacturing where India and the US can work together.

While claiming that his disqualification from Parliament has offered him a bigger political opportunity than he had earlier, Gandhi insisted that his international engagements are not meant to seek support in India's internal political battles, a key criticism directed at him by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

During an interaction at Stanford University on Wednesday evening (Thursday morning IST), when asked about India's position on the Ukraine war, Gandhi offered the most categorical expression so far of his support for India's stance. "We have a relationship with Russia. We have had a relationship with Russia. We have certain dependencies on Russia. So I would have a very similar stance as the government of India... At the end of the day, we have to also look out for our interests."

Gandhi said that India's size meant that it would always have relationships with a large range of countries. "We will have better relations with some countries, evolving relations with other countries. That balance is there. But to say that India won't have a relationship with this set of people is difficult for to do."