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.
This comes amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Russia to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A day earlier, the PM met Putin at his official residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, near Moscow, for a “private engagement,” following which the former shared that he is "looking forward" to talks scheduled on Tuesday. "Looking forward to our talks tomorrow as well, which will surely go a long way in further cementing the bonds of friendship between India and Russia," PM Modi shared on his social media platforms.
What has US said?
"India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in a full and frank dialogue. And that includes our concerns about their relationship with Russia," US State Department's Mathew Miller said.
"We did just see Modi, like (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban, meet with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy. We thought that was an important step to take. And we would urge India, as we do any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN charter, that respects Ukraine's territorial integrity, Ukraine's sovereignty," Miller told reporters.
"I will look to Prime Minister Modi's public remarks to see what he talked about. But as I said, we made quite clear directly with India our concerns about their relationship with Russia. So we would hope 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," he added.
Meanwhile, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said, "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. As it relates to the NATO summit being this week, of course, like you, the world is focused on that."
Why has US raised concerns about relations between the two countries?
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, India has continued to face pressure from the West.
New Delhi has walked a diplomatic tightrope, by not explicitly commenting against the Russian invasion, but by calling for an international probe into the Bucha massacre in the early weeks of the war, and expressing concern over threats of nuclear war issued by Russian leaders.
Although Delhi has cited its longstanding ties with Russia and its economic needs, it has consistently maintained that it is on the side of “peace, respect for international law and support for the UN Charter”, and “strongly advocates a return to dialogue and diplomacy”.
India has reiterated that respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states is an essential element of the international order, a euphemism for questioning Russia’s conduct.
A look at the India-Russia relations
India's relationship with Russia is seven decades old, with defence being its strongest pollar, followed by nuclear and space cooperation. Since the 1970s, India habeen importing several weapons systems from the USSR, making it country’s largest defence importer for decades.
While India has looked beyond Russia for supply of weapons over the years, its ties with Russia remain paramount in the wake of its standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
Moreover, India has also bought Russian oil at discounted rates ever since the beginning of war, despite criticism from the West.
-- inputs from Reuters, PTI
