US Pressures India Over Participation in Russian Military Exercise

Indian participation in the Vostok 2022 exercise in Russia’s Eastern Military District is apparently sticking in Washington’s craw, though public statements about it are muted. “It’s certainly something that we’ll keep an eye on, given the— the nature of those nations, and in— in some cases, the instability that they are seeking to cause in various regions of the world,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters yesterday when asked about the exercise. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was slightly more direct, but only slightly, when asked about the exercise on Aug. 30. “So, the United States has concerns about any country exercising with Russia while Russia wages an unprovoked, brutal war against Ukraine,” she said. “But, of course, every participating country will make its own decisions. And I’ll leave it at that.”