The United States on Thursday warned India that relying on Russia as “a reliable partner is not a good bet,” and added that Moscow would prioritise its relationship with Beijing over New Delhi in the event of a dispute between the two Asian powers.
Replying to a question about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a press conference said, “We’ve made clear to every country in the world including India that a bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet.”
“Russia is becoming closer to China.In fact, it’s becoming the junior partner to China. And in that way, they would side with China over India any day of the week. And … Prime Minister Modi, of course, has profound concerns about the potential for Chinese aggression against India. Which we have seen over recent years,” Sullivan said, who was in India last month for a meeting with his counterpart Ajit Doval and also met Prime Minister Modi during his visit.
The US official acknowledged that countries like India have a long-standing relationship with Russia, which is unlikely to change drastically in a short period. However, he stressed that the United States is investing in democratic partners and allies worldwide, including India, and believes that this approach will yield positive results in the long run.
The comments from Sullivan came a day after representatives from the Pentagon, the White House, and the state department responded to questions regarding India’s relationship with Russia and PM Modi’s visit to Moscow. Prime Minister Modi was in Russia for two days from July for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit that has been watched closely by the West amidst the raging Ukraine conflict. visit has been closely monitored by the West amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
During his meeting with Putin on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi conveyed to the Russian President that a resolution to the Ukraine conflict cannot be achieved on the battlefield, and peace efforts will not succeed in the presence of bombs and bullets.
India has been steadfastly defending its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and has maintained the momentum in their relationship despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Replying to a question about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a press conference said, “We’ve made clear to every country in the world including India that a bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet.”
“Russia is becoming closer to China.In fact, it’s becoming the junior partner to China. And in that way, they would side with China over India any day of the week. And … Prime Minister Modi, of course, has profound concerns about the potential for Chinese aggression against India. Which we have seen over recent years,” Sullivan said, who was in India last month for a meeting with his counterpart Ajit Doval and also met Prime Minister Modi during his visit.
The US official acknowledged that countries like India have a long-standing relationship with Russia, which is unlikely to change drastically in a short period. However, he stressed that the United States is investing in democratic partners and allies worldwide, including India, and believes that this approach will yield positive results in the long run.
The comments from Sullivan came a day after representatives from the Pentagon, the White House, and the state department responded to questions regarding India’s relationship with Russia and PM Modi’s visit to Moscow. Prime Minister Modi was in Russia for two days from July for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit that has been watched closely by the West amidst the raging Ukraine conflict. visit has been closely monitored by the West amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
During his meeting with Putin on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi conveyed to the Russian President that a resolution to the Ukraine conflict cannot be achieved on the battlefield, and peace efforts will not succeed in the presence of bombs and bullets.
India has been steadfastly defending its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and has maintained the momentum in their relationship despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Source : Times of India