NEW DELHI: The United States on Tuesday said that they believed "India has ability to" urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to "end the brutal and unprovoked war with Ukraine".
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked about Indian prime minister visiting Russia, said "We believe India's long-standing relationship with Russia gives it the ability to urge President Putin, to end his brutal war, an unprovoked war in Ukraine...India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in full and frank dialogue, including their relationship with Russia and we've talked about this before.
It's critical that all countries, including India, support efforts to realize an enduring and just peace when it comes to Ukraine. It is for President Putin to end. President Putin started the war, and he can end the war..."
This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia for two-day official trip to Russia and met President Vladimir Putin.
'Have expressed concerns directly to Indian govt'
Earlier the State department have also expressed concerns and said that they directly talked to the Indian government about the energy and
oil agreements
between India and Russia.
Responding to a question asked by a reporter about the concerns around India and Russia's continued agreements on energy and oil, State department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a press conference said, "So, as I said yesterday, we have been quite clear about our concerns about India’s relationship with Russia. We have expressed those privately, directly to the Indian Government and continue to do so, and that hasn’t changed."
During the meeting, both the leaders assessed the multi-faceted mutually beneficial
India-Russia relations
that span all possible areas of cooperation including political and strategic, military and security, trade and investment, energy, science and technology, nuclear, space, cultural, education and humanitarian cooperation. It was noted with satisfaction that both Sides are actively exploring new avenues for cooperation while further strengthening cooperation in the traditional areas.
On Monday also, the US has called upon India to convey a clear message to Moscow that any resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine must adhere to the principles of the UN Charter, which safeguard the territorial integrity of all member states, including Ukraine.
Responding to questions regarding Modi's visit to Moscow, Miller said that India is a strategic partner with whom the US engages in open and honest dialogue, including concerns about India's relationship with Russia.
"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 said.
Miller stated that he would closely examine
Prime Minister Modi
's public statements to ascertain the topics discussed during the visit.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday's press briefing, another reporter also raised question on PM Modi's visit to Russia.
Calling Putin "bloody criminal," the reporter asked, "How do you view the Modi-Putin hugging chemistry, as President Zelenskyy has seriously objected, saying it’s a huge disappointment that the leader of the world’s largest democracy hugs a bloody criminal in Moscow? This is a devastating blow to peace efforts. Will this create any impact on your trusted and strategic partnership with India?"
Miller said that the US continued to urge India, to support efforts to realize 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," he added.
English (US) ·