"We are looking to do more in terms of [military] exercises and joint training and interoperability with our Indian counterparts," said US Ambassador to India Richard Rahul Verma as quoted by the expert.
The US' move can be regarded as backlash against the increased military cooperation within the BRICS. Indeed, Moscow and New Delhi have been steadily strengthening their ties in the military and military-technical field over the past years.
The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it values its "privileged strategic partnership" with India and expressed confidence that the countries will boost economic and political relations.
According to the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), in 2014, New Delhi was the largest buyer of Russian arms, receiving $4.7 billion worth weapons and military equipment from Russia.
The BRICS cemented by Russia's military expertise and might is currently emerging as a self-sufficient global player, not just as an economic alliance.
Crispin Rovere, an Australian expert in Asia-Pacific affairs, even went so far as to suggest that "in the long-term, an anti-US coalition consisting of China, Russia and India cannot be discounted."
It seems that the increasing Russo-Indian military cooperation has become a thorn in Washington’s side. On the other hand, by bolstering its defense ties with India, the United States apparently hopes to kill two birds with one stone: to downplay Moscow's diplomatic success in Asia and intensify contradictions between New Delhi and Beijing.
On the other hand, Russia remains India's "sole strategic partner," while all three countries – Russia, India and China – "have a strong preference for a multipolar world order and the dilution of American hegemony," the expert pointed out.
