Defense News reports that “the commander in charge of US forces in Afghanistan has asked India to step up military aid in the Asian country. Gen. John Nicholson’s call to action comes as Western sanctions against Russia is leading to a paucity of spares for Russian-made weaponry used by Afghan forces.”

“Speaking to journalists Wednesday after meeting with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Secretary G.Mohan Kumar, the US Army officer said: ‘Due to sanctions on Russia, it’s difficult to acquire supplies of spare parts for Russian military platforms, because much of the money is given to Afghanistan by donors who have sanctions against Russia in place.'”

“Nitin Mehta, a defense analyst in India, commented on the US approach: ‘The call for stepping up military aid to Afghanistan is not a changed response of Washington in diplomatic terms, but only in military terms, arising from the sanctions by the Western world on Russia, thereby [pulling] the plug on supply of military spares.'”