Washington: Vivek Ramaswamy, a prominent Indian-American biotech entrepreneur, has taken a distinctive stance on resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ramaswamy, who is set to challenge Donald Trump in the Republican primaries for the upcoming US presidential elections, has put forward a strategy that involves Moscow retaining control over parts of the Donbas region while Kyiv refrains from joining NATO.
He also advocated for Russian President Vladimir Putin to sever his military alliance with China as a condition to end the conflict.
Unlike traditional US leaders, Ramaswamy's approach aims to reshape the dynamics of the Russia-Ukraine conflict by leveraging Putin's relationship with China. "I will end the Ukraine War on terms that require Putin to exit his military alliance with China. The goal shouldn't be for Russia to 'lose.' It should be for the U.S. to win," Ramaswamy wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In an interview with CNN, Ramaswamy labelled the Russia-China military alliance as the "single-biggest military" threat to the US.
He emphasised that he would personally visit Moscow after assuming the presidency to negotiate this shift in alliance dynamics. Drawing a parallel to Nixon's visit to China in 1972, he expressed his intention to persuade Putin to withdraw from the China alliance.
Ramaswamy argued that the current US engagement with Ukraine is inadvertently pushing Russia closer to China's sphere of influence.
He asserted, "The Russia-China military alliance is the single-biggest military threat that we face today." He highlighted their advanced hypersonic missile and nuclear capabilities, along with China's superior naval power. According to him, these capabilities, combined with economic interdependence, cement their alliance.
The candidate proposed freezing the current lines of control in the Donbas region, allowing certain parts to remain under Russian control. Additionally, he advocated for a commitment to prevent NATO from admitting Ukraine. Ramaswamy framed his foreign policy approach as one aimed at weakening the Russia-China alliance while focusing on the broader interests of the United States.
Born on August 9, 1985, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ramaswamy's parents migrated to the US from Kerala. He will be the third Indian-American, alongside Nikki Haley and Hirsh Vardhan Singh, to compete against former President Donald Trump in the Republican primaries scheduled for January next year.