麻豆约拍

In the wake of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine 141 of the UN鈥檚 193 member states voted to condemn the action. But the Kremlin isn鈥檛 without its allies. Four nations voted with Russia against the resolution (Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea) and another 35 abstained. China is the most prominent of these, but India also sat out the vote. The world鈥檚 largest democracy has not only failed to criticise the invasion but has also shied away from introducing sanctions. That鈥檚 prompted President Biden to describe Delhi鈥檚 response to the war raging in Europe as 鈥渟omewhat shaky鈥�. But India isn鈥檛 alone. Israel too is hoping to stay neutral; it says so that it can facilitate talks between Moscow and Kyiv 鈥� with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid insisting 鈥渢he way to stop the war is to negotiate鈥�. So how much are current relationships based on ties dating back to the Cold War? How many countries still need Russia to maintain their own security and energy supplies? And can these partnerships survive in the face of harsh Western sanctions?

Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of experts.
Producers: Junaid Ahmed and Paul Schuster.