Amid Russia row, India strengthens ties with US

New Delhi: At a time when the India-US ties looked a bit strained thanks to the former’s stand on Russia during the ongoing war with Ukraine, Delhi has sent a clear message that all is well with Washington.

Two senior members of Union Cabinet- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar- are currently in the US for 2+2 ministerial dialogue.

‘The US is aware that India and Russia are natural allies and enjoy stable ties – but, at the same time, India will not allow its relationship with a third country to adversely affect US core national interests’, Rajnath Singh has said in Washington.

Asked about the discomfort about India’s position after the Ukraine crisis in the US, Singh said, ‘I don’t think Russia will affect India-US ties. The US knows that India and Russia are natural allies of each other and that our relations are very stable. India will also be very careful to ensure that US core national interests are not affected adversely due to our relations with another country in the world.’

Meanwhile, Jaishankar has said that strategic partnerships like the one between India and the US are built through shared interests, common values and constant nurturing, underlining that in a changing world Indo-US ties have not only kept pace but actually emerged as a major contributor to global peace.
Jaishankar said this on Monday during a joint press conference along with Singh and their American counterparts Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Strategic partnerships like those between India and the United States are built through shared interests, common values, and constant nurturing. It is natural that each of us will bring to the relationship our particular perspectives, experiences and priorities, Jaishankar said.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden met virtually on Monday, as Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh were in Washington for the fourth ‘2+ 2’ Foreign and Defence Ministry dialogues with their US counterparts. The war between Russia and Ukraine featured prominently in the opening remarks of both.

The government’s readout of the meeting said the two leaders had discussed Ukraine at the meeting, as well as regional and global issues, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the global economy, climate and ‘recent developments in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region’.