Washington: In their meeting in Melbourne on the sidelines of the Quad meeting, United States (US) secretary of state Antony J Blinken and external affairs minister S Jaishankar had an “open and honest” conversation about Ukraine, Donald Lu, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia said. Separately, the State Department has said that principles of the rules-based international order apply both in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.
When asked about the conversation, Lu, who was part of the US delegation during the meeting in Melbourne said, “On the issue of Ukraine and Russia, I can say that there was an open and honest conversation. This was reflective of the close relationship we have with one another. It is a complex issue for the United States. It is a complex issue for India as well. We share values. And we talk about every issue, including the tough ones.”
The US has warned Russia may invade Ukraine at any moment, and has stepped up its diplomatic consultations with allies and partners in building an international momentum against Russia. India, which shares close strategic ties with both the US and Russia, has spoken of the need for a peaceful diplomatic resolution of the issue.
On Monday, when asked if Blinken had come out with the impression that India fully supported the US position on Russia, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that there was a strong consensus in meetings with Quad counterparts that there needed to be “diplomatic, a peaceful resolution”. “One of the core tenets of the Quad is to reinforce the rules-based international order, and that is a rules-based order that applies equally in the Indo-Pacific as it does in Europe, as it does anywhere else.”
He added that the US knew that its Indian partners were “committed” to the rules-based international order. “There are any number of tenets to that order. One of them is that borders cannot be redrawn by force, that large countries cannot bully small countries; that only the people of a particular country can be in a position to choose their foreign policy, their partnerships, their alliances, their associations. Those are principles that apply equally in the Indo-Pacific as they do in Europe.”
{{/usCountry}}He added that the US knew that its Indian partners were “committed” to the rules-based international order. “There are any number of tenets to that order. One of them is that borders cannot be redrawn by force, that large countries cannot bully small countries; that only the people of a particular country can be in a position to choose their foreign policy, their partnerships, their alliances, their associations. Those are principles that apply equally in the Indo-Pacific as they do in Europe.”
{{/usCountry}}Indian officials say that India, like the rest of the international community, wants to see de-escalation of tensions, and point out that the US has also displayed an understanding of Delhi’s situation, as reflected in the remarks of officials. Last week, State Department spokesperson Price categorically said that tensions with Russia have not had an impact on relations with India, and that relationship with India “stands on its own merit”. On Monday, Lu too prefaced his remarks on the conversation about Russia by emphasising the importance of ties with India. “India is more than just a partner for the US.” He said that in the South and Central Asia bureau, they work more closely with India on a daily basis than any other country in the region.