Ambassador Denis Alipov has responded after Anders Rasmussen urged New Delhi to join the US and its allies against “united autocrats”
Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov has criticized former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen for suggesting that India should abandon its strategic ties with Russia and join a Western-led “alliance of democracies.”
In an article published on January 17 in The Hindu newspaper, Rasmussen proposed that India align with the US and its European allies against “autocratic regimes” like Russia and China.
The former NATO chief stated that the West was “undoubtedly frustrated” with New Delhi for not joining its efforts, including economic sanctions, over the Ukraine conflict. Rasmussen also suggested that as India is a democracy, its “entanglement with Moscow and Beijing” within groupings such as BRICS is “unnatural.” He further claimed that Russia and China are “both a threat to the global democratic world,” which includes India, Europe, and the US.
In response, Alipov accused Rasmussen of misunderstanding India’s foreign policy principles and promoting a divisive bloc mentality. “Mr Rasmussen’s failure to understand India, Russia, regional and global geopolitics leads him to make fallacious suggestions of monumental proportions,” Alipov wrote in an article published on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.
The diplomat criticized Rasmussen’s portrayal of the Ukraine conflict, calling it a “distorted picture” that misleads Indian readers. He argued that European leaders historically justify their aggressive strategies against Moscow by invoking “a phantom Russian threat.”
“It was NATO that rejected Russia’s proposals for developing a collective security architecture in Eurasia,” Alipov said, pointing to the US-led military bloc’s eastward expansion during Rasmussen’s tenure. He also referenced then NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s acknowledgment in 2023 that Russia’s security concerns about the bloc’s enlargement were dismissed, contributing to the escalation of Ukraine conflict.
The envoy emphasized that Rasmussen’s suggestion conflicts with India’s longstanding foreign policy of strategic autonomy, which rejects aligning with any bloc. “Mr Rasmussen would like India to enlist in a ‘democratic bloc’s’ crusade against ‘autocratic regimes,’” said Alipov, criticizing the proposal for dividing nations into ideological camps.
Highlighting the New Delhi-promoted concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – which imagines the world as one family – Alipov suggested Rasmussen’s ideas run counter to India’s vision of global harmony and peaceful coexistence. The Russian envoy also questioned Rasmussen’s intentions, accusing him of seeking to enlist India as a pawn in Western strategies. “In his pipe dreams, he already sees Europe, India, and the United States marching together ‘unstoppable against the united autocrats,’” Alipov said.
He further dismissed Rasmussen’s claims of offering India “better weapons than Russia” as an attempt to undermine India’s time-tested partnership with Moscow.
India has maintained strong diplomatic and trade ties with Moscow despite pressure from Western partners, expanding cooperation in energy, defense, and other areas. As the world’s third-largest oil consumer, India relies on imports for over 85% of its needs, with Russia now its top crude oil supplier. New Delhi has emphasized Moscow’s role in ensuring its energy security and has argued that buying Russian oil stabilizes the global energy market, preventing a widespread crisis.
