The Biden administration has said that India will remain a strategic partner of the US despite concerns over relations with Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Russia for two days for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit, which is also being closely watched by Western countries amid the Ukraine conflict.
During his talks with President Putin on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi told President Putin that the Ukraine conflict cannot be resolved on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed amid bombs and bullets.
On Tuesday, Pentagon and State Department spokespersons responded differently to questions on India’s relations with Russia and Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Moscow.
“India and Russia have had a very long-standing relationship. From the US perspective, India is a strategic partner with whom we continue to have a full and frank dialogue, including on their relationship with Russia. As for the NATO summit this week, of course, the attention of the whole world is focused on that, as are yours,” Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters at a press conference.
On the other hand, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in his daily press conference that the US has been very clear about its “concerns about India’s relations with Russia”.
“We have made our case directly to the Indian government in private and will continue to do so. And there has been no change in that,” Mr Miller told reporters at his daily news conference.
India has kept its approach open to its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and has maintained momentum in the relationship.
India has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but has consistently advocated for a resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
Major General Ryder said: “I don’t think anyone will be surprised if (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin attempts to present this visit in a way to somehow show that he is not isolated from the rest of the world. And the fact of the matter is that President Putin’s choice of war has isolated Russia from the rest of the world, and it has come at a great cost. His aggressive war has come at a great cost, and the facts bear that out,” he said.
“So we will continue to view India as a strategic partner. We will continue to have a strong dialogue with them,” Major General Ryder said.
“He (Putin) doesn’t look so isolated, since the head of the world’s largest democracy is in Moscow right now and hugging him,” a journalist asked.
Responding to this, Major General Ryder said that Prime Minister Modi also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently and assured that India will continue to do everything within its means to bring about a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
He said, “I think we are confident that India will support efforts to establish a lasting and just peace in Ukraine and will convey to Mr Putin the importance of adhering to the UN Charter and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Mr Miller said the US “will continue to urge India to support efforts to establish a lasting and just peace in Ukraine, based on the principles of the UN Charter and on maintaining Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. And we will continue to engage with India on this issue.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)