Indians see US as biggest threat after China, survey shows
Indians consider the United States as the second-largest military threat, following China, and place greater blame on NATO and Washington for the war in Ukraine than Russia.
About 43% of the 1,000 respondents viewed China as the biggest security concern, while 22% rated the United States as the second-worst security risk, topping India's historic archrival Pakistan, Bloomberg reported, citing a survey by Morning Consult, a US-based global business intelligence company.
"While the world's two largest democracies would seem to make for natural partners, especially given their mutual mistrust of China, Indians have strategic reasons to be wary of the world's Western superpower," said Sonnet Frisbie and Scott Moskowitz, who oversaw the survey released on Tuesday.
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"As tensions between Washington and Beijing increase, the Indian public may be worried about getting caught in the middle of a US-China conflict that destabilizes regional security, putting India at risk," they added.
India's Perceived Military Threat
Many Indians blame the US and NATO than Russia for war in Ukraine:
More Indians blame the US and NATO for the war because "historical ties with Russia formed during the Cold War and India's post-independence period run deeper than India's relatively new relationship with the US," said Shumita Deveshwar, India research senior director at TS Lombard.
Russia, as the main supplier of weapons and cheap oil to India, is also "embedded in the mindset of the people, and that takes much longer to change," he added.
India has remained neutral on the Russian war in Ukraine in UN censure votes despite pressure from its Quad partners—India, the US, Australia, and Japan—a grouping of democracies formed to counter Beijing's economic and military ambitions.
60% of the people who filled out the survey said they want the government to keep buying oil from Russia.
About 48% of participants said Russia should remain India's preferred military equipment provider, compared to 44% for the US and some 49% also want to continue military exercises with Russia.
New Delhi and Moscow have a long-standing relationship that spans sectors such as defense and security. India is the world's largest buyer of Russian weapons,
India's jump in oil purchases has helped the Kremlin maintain exports as it tackles Western sanctions.
