Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin before their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. File photo Photo credit: AFP
The US hopes India will use its ties with Russia to defuse the Ukraine conflict, a senior US diplomat has said. First anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We’ve said it before, Secretary [of State of the U.S., Antony Blinken] Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lowe told reporters on a February 24 briefing call that India has a long and complicated history with Russia going back to the days of the Cold War – a deep and enduring relationship spanning decades.
“We hope that India will use its influence with Russia to help end this conflict, and as Foreign Minister Jaishankar has said, resolve the conflict in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter. will be terminated. [on] Territorial integrity and sovereigntyMr Lowe said.
Mr. Blanken is scheduled to visit New Delhi on March 1 to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
Before arriving in India, he will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the C5+1 (ie the US, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan plus these countries) meeting in Astana on February 28.
Also read: India is absent from the UN vote, stressing the need for a just, lasting peace in Ukraine.
Asked whether Mr. Blanken would try and persuade India and Central Asian countries to further align with the United States on the Ukraine conflict, Mr. Low described India and Central Asian countries as “long, complicated” with Russia. “Relationships. .
“I don’t think they are going to end those ties anytime soon. But we are talking to them about the role they can play in the conflict,” he said, adding that the countries have sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and spoke in favor of territorial integrity.
“We may not share the same view on Ukraine every day, but I think we share the goal of ending this conflict, and that’s in line with the UN Charter,” Mr Lowe said. End based on principles.”
On Thursday, India was among 32 countries that voted abstention at the United Nations on a resolution criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calling for a “just and lasting peace”. That’s in line with nearly all the votes he’s cast on resolutions since Russia invaded Ukraine just over a year ago.
In New Delhi, Mr Blanken will meet Mr Jaishankar and, according to Mr Lowe, will discuss bilateral relations. G 20Also on the Quad (comprising India, US, Australia and Japan) and the recently launched India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
Mr Low said India and the US were having “serious discussions” about China, including after the US Dropping the sugar balloon Floating over North America, reportedly used for surveillance purposes. He expected these discussions to continue.
But in response to a question Beijing is providing loans to Pakistan. And Sri Lanka, Mr Lowe said, saying the US was very concerned that these would be used for “coercive leverage” and that Washington was talking to New Delhi and other countries in the region about helping the debtor countries.
Quad FM meeting on March 3
Quad foreign ministers are set to convene on March 3 along the sidelines of the G20. These ministers will also hold public talks at Raisina Dialogue after the meeting. The dialogue is jointly hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, a think tank with close ties to the government.
Officials on Friday’s briefing call did not confirm whether there would be meetings between Mr Blanken and his Russian and Chinese counterparts in New Delhi, but stressed the importance of keeping the lines of communication open.
Mr Blanken met his Chinese counterpart, State Councilor Wang Yi, in Munich on February 18 and warned China against providing material support to Russia in the war.
