'It's about interests,' Indians rip into ex-US ambassador after he questions Jaishankar's visit to Russia

Indian Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar recently wrapped up his five-day visit to Russia, which also included an interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a rare deviation from the Kremlin’s protocol.

The visit came as a testament to flourishing political and economic relations between the two powers, even as headwinds over the past two years have grown stronger over Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions by the West.

Jaishankar’s visit to Russia has been hailed as India’s ‘bold statement’ to the West by the Russian media. Russia’s state-backed RT News in an opinion piece stated: “The visit is also a way for New Delhi to signal its independent foreign policy and strategic autonomy in pursuing its interests, at a time when India is drawing closer to the United States and its allies.”

Ex-US ambassador loses calm

Sharing the RT’s piece on X, USA’s former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul expressed his disappointment over Jaishankar’s visit to Russia, accusing New Delhi of embracing ‘imperial Russia.’

“India was once a world champion against imperialism and for decolonization. Sad to see this embrace of imperial Russia using war and annexation to try to recolonize Ukraine,” the ambassador wrote on X.

“I guess money is more important than values,” he added.

Ambassador gets schooled by Indians

Indians on X took great offence at McFaul’s comments and flooded the reply section with hard-hitting comments.

“Why do you have to "guess money is more important than values"? You are American. You have always put money above values for the last three hundred years,” wrote an X user CA Shailendra Marathe.

"I hope you have heard about 'American Interests' while your country indirectly sponsored Taliban, LeT, Jaish and many more. India never did any such despicable actions," wrote another user Manan Bhatt.

Watch:S Jaishankar in Russia: India & Russia sign pacts, inch closer to jointly producing weapons

"Still, we have to care for 'Indian Interests' that's what my country is doing."

"Why so much double speak, amb?"

Some users also shared pictures from the recent meeting between the Army Chief of Pakistan, India's arch nemesis, and USA's Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Take from experts

Even geopolitical experts on Xraised questions on the ambassador's comments, who agreed that India was just serving its own "interests."

"It's not about 'money.' 'Interests'are more important than values," wroteJeff M Smith,Director of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation.

"That goes for us too, when we meet with leaders of Saudi or Egypt. If we meet Xi when he's sponsoring genocide or Pak generals when they're sponsoring terrorism, we can't lecture India about meeting with Putin," he added.

Geopolitical expertGokul Sahni also posted a satirical response to the ambassador's comments.

"Always great to be accused of pursuing a profiteering foreign policy from the paragons of virtue - the American foreign policy establishment," he wrote.