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View: The India-US relationship is deepening, despite major differences over Russia


In an unexpected plot twist, the fourth round of India-US 2+2 dialogue of foreign and defence ministers was headlined by Narendra Modi and Joe Biden, no less. They set the tone and tried to shut the door on controversies about India's stand on Russia's war against Ukraine.


The White House suggested the Biden-Modi virtual meet, perhaps to clear the air of the 'consequences' US officials had warned India would face if it bought more oil from Russia. It's taken a few days, but US officials have fully internalised the futility of pushing India to sing from their songbook and condemn, shout and join the fray against Russia. In his opening statement, Modi mentioned the horrific killings in Bucha and expressed concern, thereby making India's stand clear.


Short Time, No See

In the hour-long meeting on Monday, Biden didn't ask Modi to move this way or that on Russia - as a US official said later, India 'will make its own judgements'. The two leaders had a 'warm and productive' meeting, touching on a range of topics from Covid to climate change to the Indo-Pacific and, of course, the war in Ukraine. It seems Modi shared his thoughts on the growing links between Russia and China, and how they impact India.


In a way, Russia remained the 'Plus-One' through all the meetings, including a good part of the 2+2 dialogue of the four ministers, S Jaishankar, Rajnath Singh, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin. Blinken and Austin made sure to mention 'Russia's brutal [war]' at every opportunity in their public comments, almost forcing Jaishankar to remind them about a place called Afghanistan and the inescapable consequences for India.


Blinken right away framed the Russian aggression as an attack on the 'rules-based order' that India and the US claim to defend when they talk of the Indo-Pacific and the Quad. Provocative for his guests. But as the US' top diplomat, he was playing to the pressures and politics of the war in Ukraine.


In a similar vein, Blinken said something about India that was unexpected at least in this forum. He expressed concern about a 'rise in human rights abuses' by some government, police and prison officials. His intervention will not go down well in New Delhi. But a section of the Democratic Party has begun asking why Biden hasn't spoken out about violence against minorities in India.


Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/view-the-india-us-relationship-is-deepening-despite-major-differences-over-russia/articleshow/90807241.cms

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