Rama Krishna Sangem
Many may have feared that PM Modi’s two day visit to Russia this week will anger the US. But, nothing of that sort has happened. For the US, India is still a strategic partner, as usual. This is because, the US understands the ground realities of India needing friendship with Russia, a strategic partner for over several decades. The US never objected India pursuing its time tested ties with Mascow.
The United States (US) has said it will continue to regard India as a strategic partner and have a robust dialogue with New Delhi despite having concerns over its ties with Russia, adding that it trusts that New Delhi will convey to Russian President Vladimir Putin the importance of adhering to the UN charter and the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty regarding Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recently concluded two-day Russia visit for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit was closely watched by the West amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
During his talks with Putin on Tuesday, PM Modi told the Russian President that a solution to the Ukraine conflict was not possible on the battlefield and that peace efforts would not succeed amid bombs and bullets.
On Tuesday in Washington, US State Department and Pentagon spokespersons reacted separately to questions on PM Modi’s visit to Moscow and India’s relationship with Russia.
“India and Russia have had a relationship for a very long time. From a US perspective, India is a strategic partner with whom we continue to engage in full and frank dialogue to include their relationship with Russia,” Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference. “As it relates to the NATO summit being this week, of course, like you, the world is focused on that,” he added.
When a reporter said that Putin was not looking so isolated with the head of the world’s largest democracy being in Moscow, Ryder responded by saying that PM Modi also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently and offered his assurances that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine.
‘India still for peace in Ukraine’
I think that we trust that India will support efforts to realise an enduring and just peace for Ukraine and will convey to Mr Putin the importance of adhering to the UN charter and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Ryder added. While Ryder said that Putin would try to represent PM Modi’s visit as a sign that the Russian President is not isolated from the rest of the world, he added that “the fact of the matter is President Putin’s war of choice has isolated Russia from the rest of the world, and it has come at great cost”.
Stating that the US “will continue to view India as a strategic partner”, Ryder added, “We will continue to have a robust dialogue with them.” Speaking to reporters at his daily news conference, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US has been quite clear about its “concerns about India’s relationship with Russia”.
