NEW DELHI– India pushed back Friday against criticism from the European Union over its participation in the Russia–Belarus Zapad 2025 military exercise, saying several NATO countries also joined as observers.
At a weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that the Defense Ministry had already shared details of India’s involvement in the large-scale drills, held Sept. 12–16 across Russia and Belarus.
“I would also like to point out that several other countries, including NATO members such as the United States, Turkey and Hungary, have participated in this exercise as observers,” Jaiswal said.
The response came after European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas suggested that India’s military cooperation with Moscow and its ongoing purchase of Russian oil were complicating negotiations on a free trade agreement with the EU. “If you want closer ties with us, then why participate in exercises that are existential threats to us?” Kallas told reporters earlier this week.
Russia, for its part, has dismissed Western criticism. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Zapad exercises were “exclusively defensive” and designed to repel potential aggression. “One would like to believe that NATO observers will help debunk Western myths about the drills’ aggressive nature,” she said in Moscow.
India sent a 65-member contingent to the exercises, led by a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment and supported by the Air Force and Navy. According to the Defense Ministry, Zapad 2025 is meant to boost cooperation, interoperability, and joint training in both conventional warfare and counter-terrorism operations.
The ministry said Indian troops were engaged in company-level missions focused on joint planning, tactical drills and specialized arms training, while also working with emerging technologies in a multinational combat environment. (Source: IANS)
