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A high-ranking UK delegation to India, consisting of members of different political parties and led by House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was told by New Delhi not to bother coming anymore.
The visit, canceled at the last moment, was reportedly aimed at persuading New Delhi to take a tougher stance towards Moscow and join the anti-Russian sanctions of the West.
Last week, the UK representatives expressed disappointment over India’s neutral position towards Russia, as it continues to buy oil from Moscow and is currently discussing mechanisms to switch to ruble-rupee trade.
On Saturday British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said sanctions imposed on Russian individuals and companies could be lifted if Russia withdraws from Ukraine and commits to ending the aggression, the Telegraph newspaper reported.
Britain and other Western nations are using sanctions to cripple the Russian economy and punish President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine, seeking to press him to abandon what he calls a special military operation to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Truss held out the possibility the measures could end if Moscow changed course.
“What we know is that Russia signed up to multiple agreements they simply don’t comply with. So there needs to be hard levers. Of course, sanctions are a hard lever,” she said.
“Those sanctions should only come off with a full ceasefire and withdrawal, but also commitments that there will be no further aggression. And also, there’s the opportunity to have snapback sanctions if there is further aggression in the future. That is a real lever that I think can be used.”