Doval and Sullivan hold talks amid strain in ties over Russia
Sullivan earlier warned that Russia was a ‘bad bet’ for India, and would choose China over India if required
Amidst a strain over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow this week, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval spoke to U.S. NSA Jake Sullivan on Friday evening, where they agreed to “work closely” to further advance bilateral ties. They also discussed the upcoming Quad Foreign Ministers meeting to be held later this month, and a leaders’ summit that may possibly be held later this year.
During conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy: U.S. Ambassador
The conversation followed days of statements by the U.S. administration, expressing concerns about India’s ties with Russia and the Modi-Putin meeting, as well as conversations between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra as well as U.S. State Department officials and India’s acting Ambassador in Washington. On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti had warned that the U.S. should not be “taken for granted”, while Mr. Sullivan said in a television interview that India was placing a “bad bet” on Russia.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the two NSAs, who had met last in June in New Delhi, discussed a “wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international concern” and upcoming high-level engagements under the India-U.S.-Japan-Australia Quad framework.
Also read | India’s relationship with Russia gives it ability to urge Russian President Putin to end war in Ukraine: White House
Sources told The Hindu that the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting was to be scheduled in Tokyo on July 29, after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers outreach meetings in Vientiane, Laos. The meeting has not been officially announced so far, and the MEA statement is the first sign that the Quad FM meeting has been confirmed for July. In addition, India is due to host the Quad Leaders’ summit in 2024, although that will depend on the U.S. elections in November.
“The NSAs agreed to work closely to further advance India-U.S. relations, which are built on shared values and common strategic and security interests. They reiterated the need to work collectively to address global challenges to peace and security and further expand the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” the MEA statement said, but did not refer specifically to the Russia visit, nor did it clarify who had initiated the call.
PM Modi raises Ukraine war during meeting with Putin, says loss of lives is heart-breaking
On Thursday, at the end of the NATO summit in Washington where Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea were also invited, Mr. Sullivan called for a “commitment to a common defence” against adversaries like Russia and China. Speaking to MSNBC Television, Mr. Sullivan had said that the U.S. had told every country including India that a “bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet”. He warned that Russia was becoming a “junior partner to China” and that Russia would “side with China over India any day of the week.”
Also read | India to remain strategic partner despite concerns over its ties with Russia: U.S.
At least two U.S. news organisations, including the Washington Post and Bloomberg, also reported on a briefing by senior U.S. officials who said that the Joe Biden administration had reached out through several channels to the Modi government, and felt “frustrated” by Mr. Modi’s warm meetings with Mr. Putin. The officials quoted said that they had even asked that Mr. Modi reschedule his visit to avoid “deeply inappropriate” timing coinciding with the NATO summit in Washington that sought to show Mr. Putin as “isolated”.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson said this week that the U.S. continued to raise its concerns with India about its engagement with Russia. Meanwhile, comments by the U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti at a defence and security conclave, where he said there’s “no such thing as strategic autonomy” in a conflict, were seen as a criticism of India’s stand in the Ukraine conflict.
The MEA has declined to comment on any of the statements thus far.
- Telegram
SEE ALL
PRINT
Russia
/
diplomacy
/
USA
/
India
/
India-United States
/
international relations
/
Prime Minister Narendra Modi