Insight Bureau:  While assuring that the Western Nations and allied partners are putting up a united front against Russian aggression in Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden today said that India a member of the Indo-Pacific Quad was “a bit shaky” when it came to dealing with President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

Biden told a business roundtable of CEOs on Monday that “The one thing I’m confident, knowing Putin fairly well, as well as I, guess another leader can know one another, is that he was counting on being able to split NATO. He never thought NATO would stay resolved, stay totally thoroughly united. And I can assure you, NATO has never been stronger or more united in its entire history than it is today, in large part, because of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin.”

The Quad – with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of these but Japan has been extremely strong, so is Australia in terms of dealing with Putin’s aggression, Biden said.

“We presented a united front throughout NATO and the Pacific, and you did a hell of a lot to help us impose sanctions and incur costs, real costs, on the Russian economy. We are seeing now that it mattered. It was really important what you all did. Not every one of you, but I’m not suggesting you all had to. But those of you who did step up, it made a big difference,” he said.