US sees India as strategic partner, says will continue robust dialogue despite concerns over its Russia ties

India will continue to be a strategic partner for the United States despite concerns over its ties with Russia, the Biden Administration said.

The statement from the Biden Administration came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his two-day Moscow trip, where he visited at President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to attend the 22nd India-Russia annual summit.

The West was keeping a close eye on PM Modi’s Russia visit which was first during the Ukraine conflict that began in February 2022.

On Tuesday, during his talks with Putin, PM Modi told the Russian President that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed amid bombs and bullets.

Later in the day, spokespersons of the Pentagon and the State Department reacted separately to questions on India’s relationship with Russia and Modi’s visit to Moscow.

”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,” Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference.

The US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, on the other hand while addressing  reporters at his daily news conference, said that the US has been quite clear about its ”concerns about India’s relationship with Russia.”

”We have expressed those privately directly to the Indian government, and continue to do so. And that has not changed,” Miller said.

India has been stoutly defending its ”special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and maintained the momentum in the ties notwithstanding the Ukraine conflict.

India has not yet condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has consistently pitched for a resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Ryder further said: ”I do not think anybody will be surprised if President Putin tries to represent this visit in a way that seeks to somehow show that he is not isolated from the rest of the world. And 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."

“Their war of aggression has come at great cost, and the facts bear that out,” he said.

”So we will continue to view India as a strategic partner. We will continue to have a robust dialogue with them,” Ryder further said.

When asked by a reporter that Putin is not looking so isolated with the head of the world’s largest democracy being in Moscow, embracing him right now, Ryder responded, saying that PM Modi also met recently with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and offered his assurances that India will continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the war 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,” he added.

Miller said the US continues to ”urge India to support efforts to realise an enduring and just peace in Ukraine, based on the principles of the UN charter based on upholding Ukraine’s territorial integrity and its sovereignty. And that will continue to be what we will engage with India about.

With inputs from PTI