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30-07-2024
WASHINGTON/ NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday emphasized the importance of a “just and enduring peace” for Ukraine in a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the State Department said, opens new tab. The discussion came amid a visit being reportedly planned to Ukraine by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi is likely to visit Ukraine in August, various Indian media outlets have reported in recent days, which would be his first visit to the country since Russia invaded in February 2022 and would come just weeks after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had expressed unhappiness and disappointment with Modi’s visit to Russia.
While Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine, nations friendly with Russia such as India and China have continued to trade.
“Secretary Blinken underscored the importance of realizing a just and enduring peace for Ukraine consistent with the UN Charter,” the State Department said in a statement on Sunday on the meeting between Blinken and Jaishankar.
Social media posts from both Blinken and Jaishankar on Sunday mentioned their meeting but did not specifically mention Ukraine.
India has refrained from directly criticizing Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while urging the two nations to resolve their conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. New Delhi has resisted pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow since the invasion, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and its economic needs.
In recent years, Washington has looked to improve ties with New Delhi as it has increasingly viewed India as a potential counterweight to an ascendant China. However, while Modi was visiting Russia, the State Department said it raised concerns with India over its ties to Russia.
Earlier, The United States has raised concerns with India about its relationship with Russia amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a US State Department spokesperson told reporters on Monday in response to questions about a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
India has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Modi met Putin in Russia on Monday in the prime minister’s first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In a post on social media platform X, the prime minister said his talks with Putin “will surely go a long way in further cementing the bonds of friendship” between the two countries.
“I will look to Prime Minister Modi’s public remarks to see what he talked about but as I said, we have made quite clear directly with India our concerns about their relationship with Russia,” a State Department spokesperson said in a press briefing.
“And so we would hope (that) India and any other country when they engage with Russia would make clear that Russia should respect the UN Charter, should respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Russia has been India’s largest weapons supplier since the Soviet Union days. However, India has also been seeking other options, as the Ukraine war hobbled Russia’s ability to supply munitions and spares.
Washington in recent years has looked to woo New Delhi, opens new tab, with political analysts saying the U.S. sees India as a counter to China in the Asia-Pacific.
While the West has tried to isolate Putin, China, India and powers in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America have continued to build ties.
