More Indians Blame US, NATO Than Vladimir Putin For War In Ukraine: Survey

More Indians blame the U.S. and NATO more than Vladimir Putin for his raging war in Ukraine that has killed thousands of civilians and military personnel, according to a survey. 

What Happened: While a plurality of Indians blames Russia for the war in Ukraine, a new survey revealed that the combined share who blames the U.S. and N.A.T.O. is larger. 

Some 38% of the 1,000 Indian respondents said Russia is to blame for the war in Ukraine, 26% blamed the United States and 18% blamed N.A.T.O., according to the survey by Morning Consult, a US-based global business intelligence company.

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"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. 

"As tensions between Washington and Beijing increase, the Indian public may be worried about getting caught in the middle of a U.S.-China conflict that destabilizes regional security, putting India at risk," they added.

The survey also found that Indians also view the U.S. as the biggest military threat after China. About 43% of the respondents perceived Beijing, with whom New Delhi has an ongoing border dispute, as the greatest threat— followed by 22% of respondents voting for the U.S. as the second-most significant security threat. 

India has maintained a neutral stand on the Russia-Ukraine war, despite pressure from its Quad peers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often pushed Putin to return to diplomacy, while India continued to snap Russian oil at a discount ignoring the West's call for sanctions. 

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