In Short
- US urges India to raise Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity with Vladimir Putin
- Raises concerns with India's relationship with Russia
- PM Modi meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow during his 2-day trip to Russia
The US on Monday reiterated its strategic ties with India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the latter's residence in Moscow. Responding to questions on PM Modi's Moscow visit, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that India is a strategic partner with whom it engages in a "full and frank dialogue", including its concerns "about the relationship with Russia"
Asked about the US's views on PM Modi's visit to Moscow before the NATO 75th anniversary summit, Miller repeated America's stand on urging countries that engage with Russia to "make clear" that any resolution to the Ukraine conflict must "respect the UN charter".
"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," the US State Department spokesperson said at a daily press briefing.
PM Modi landed in Moscow on Monday evening, marking his first visit to Russia since the country's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Prime Minister was hosted by Putin at the latter's countryside residence for dinner, wherein the Russian President congratulated PM Modi on winning a historic third term in the Indian general elections. Putin also commended PM Modi for dedicating his life to the people of India.
Meanwhile, Matthew Miller was also asked if the US conveyed its "concerns" regarding India's relationship with Russia prior to PM Modi's Moscow visit. He, however, said that he was unaware of any such specific conversations taking place prior to the trip.
"I will look to Prime Minister Modi's public remarks to see what he talked about. But as I said, we made quite clear directly with India our concerns about their relationship with Russia. So we would hope India and any other country, when they engage with Russia, would make clear that Russia should respect the UN charter, should respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Miller said.
PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Russia. He is expected to leave for Austria later in the day. His trip to the European nation will mark the first time in 40 years that an Indian Prime Minister visited Austria.
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