US trusts India will support efforts to realise peace for Ukraine: Pentagon

The United States trusts that India will support efforts to realise an enduring and just peace for Ukraine and will convey to Russian President Vladimir Putin the importance of adhering to the UN charter and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Pentagon said on Tuesday (July 9) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his historic visit to Russia, to which the Joe Biden administration has expressed its concerns.

The Pentagon asserted that the United States will continue to view India as a strategic partner and have robust dialogue with the country. “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 with 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.

Is Putin isolated?

“But 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,” he said responding to questions on Modi’s Russia visit.

“Their war of aggression has come at great cost and the facts bear that out. So, we will continue to view India as a strategic partner. We will continue to have robust dialogue with them,” Ryder said.

“He (Putin) is not looking so isolated with the head of the world's largest democracy being in Moscow, embracing him right now,” a reporter said.

“I would also note that the prime minister [Modi] also met recently with the Ukrainian president and offered his assurances that India will continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine,” Ryder said.

“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.

US concerns

The Joe Biden administration said the United States has been quite clear about its concerns regarding India’s relationship with Russia.

“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 has not changed,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference soon after Modi left Russia.

“We urge India, we continue 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,” Miller said.

(With agency inputs)