The Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, also known as Sujesheng, stated that despite occasional setbacks and differences between India and the United States, the relationship between the two countries is one of the most important.
Jaishankar expressed on Friday in a think tank in New Delhi, saying, “Whether from a strategic perspective or an economic perspective, the relationship between (India) and the United States is invaluable in many ways.”
At the same time as this statement was made by the Foreign Minister, India, on one hand, aims to maintain increasingly close relationships with the United States and its allies, while also balancing its relationship with Russia. Currently, India is purchasing a large amount of discounted crude oil and weapons from Russia.
The United States expressed dissatisfaction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow in July and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier this month, Modi also visited Ukraine. This marked his first visit since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the purpose of balancing the dissatisfaction of the United States through this visit.
India hopes to deepen its relationship with the United States to gain advanced technology transfers and investment to boost its rapidly growing economy, while Washington views New Delhi as a barrier against the increasingly assertive China (CCP).
Jaishankar mentioned in an interview that the US-India relationship is not about “congruence” or “alliance,” but about “overlapping interests, the ability to collaborate on issues, domains, and theaters that suit us.”
He stated, “In some regions and on some issues, we have reached a deep agreement, while on others, it is clear that we have not reached an agreement.”
On November 8, 2022, Jaishankar held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, marking the first visit by a senior Indian official to Russia since the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted. The Russian Foreign Ministry website described, “The Russian side reiterated high appreciation of the Indian friends’ position on the situation in Ukraine and related issues and briefed Mr. Jaishankar on the progress of special military actions taken to accomplish the tasks set forth by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his speech on February 24 this year.”
On December 27, 2023, Russian President Putin met with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar at the Kremlin, during which Putin invited Indian Prime Minister Modi to visit Russia. Earlier, Jaishankar held talks with Lavrov. Lavrov stated at a press conference after the meeting that military-technical cooperation between Russia and India has made some progress, including in joint weapon production. Jaishankar told reporters that Russia is a reliable and important partner for India.
On July 10 of this year, Indian Prime Minister Modi met with Putin in Moscow, marking his first visit since his third consecutive election in June. Photos taken in Moscow showed Modi embracing Putin with a big smile. A widely circulated video in India also showed Putin smilingly referring to Modi as “my dearest friend.”
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posted on X, saying, “Seeing the leader of the world’s largest democracy embracing the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day is disappointing and a devastating blow to peace efforts.”
(This article references reports from Bloomberg)