At SCO meet, Russia hits out at US over Quad, backs China

Ajay Banerjee

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New Delhi, April 28

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu today blamed the US-led alliance for ramping up tension in Ukraine and also trying to threaten China through the “Quad” and the “AUKUS”.

He was speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meet in Delhi. India that hosted the meet is part of the Quad along with the US, Australia and Japan. The Chinese Defence Minister, Gen Li Shangfu, was present at the meet.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Sergei Shoigu had a bilateral meeting. The Ministry of Defence issued a statement, saying, “The ministers expressed satisfaction over the continued trust and mutual respect between the two countries, particularly in defence, and reiterated their commitment towards strengthening the partnership.”

The statement is significant as the US has threatened to impose sanctions on the countries dealing with Russia.

Earlier, Shoigu, in his address to the SCO Defence Ministers, said: “In a bid to maintain global dominance, the US and its allies have severely eroded the global security architecture.” He blamed the US for having unilaterally terminated the US-Soviet anti-ballistic missile treaty.

“Today, Washington and its enablers are pursuing their strategic agenda of provoking other countries into military confrontation with Russia and China,” he added. “The conflict in Ukraine is a clear demonstration of this policy. Its real aim is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, threaten China and maintain its monopoly in the world.”

“Arms deliveries to Kiev will only prolong the conflict, affecting the stability of Europe and the world as a whole. The transferred weapons end up on the black market and go further into the hands of terrorist organisations,” Shoigu claimed.

He said, “Russia has been left with no option but to eliminate the threats emanating from Ukraine militarily. Our objectives will be achieved within the special military operation.”

He termed alliances such as Quad and AUKUS as NATO’s effort to establish dominance in the Asia-Pacific region.

Defence Ministers agree to collectively root out terrorism

India’s Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said all SCO member countries arrived at a consensus on several areas of cooperation, including dealing with terrorism. “All member states were unanimous in their statements that terrorism, in all its forms, must be condemned and eliminated,” he said.