US values bilateral ties with India; it’s ‘key strategic’ accomplice in Indo-Pacific: White House

India is a “very key” strategic accomplice of the US within the strategically vital Indo-Pacific area and Washington values its bilateral relationship with New Delhi, the White House has stated, noting that within the context of Russia each nation has to make its resolution.

“We will let Indian leaders speak to their economic policies,” White House Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby instructed reporters on Tuesday when requested in regards to the Indian resolution to buy discounted oil from Russia.

“What I can just tell you is we value this bilateral relationship with India and we continue to want — obviously, every country has to make their decisions for themselves,” he stated.

“These are sovereign decisions. But we want as much pressure put internationally on Russia as possible. There needs to be costs and consequences for what Mr (Vladimir) Putin is doing,” Kirby stated, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

The US-led Western nations have imposed crippling sanctions on Russia for launching a ‘special military operation’ in neighbouring Ukraine.

Kirby underlined that India is a “very key strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region. And there are many ways that that partnership represents itself, both in defence and security, economic as well”.

According to trade knowledge, Russia has overtaken Saudi Arabia to develop into India’s second-biggest provider of oil behind Iraq as refiners snap up Russian crude obtainable at a deep low cost following the battle in Ukraine. Indian refiners purchased about 25 million barrels of Russian oil in May, or greater than 16% of all their oil imports.

There has been some disquiet in western capitals over India’s place on the Ukraine disaster in addition to its resolution to obtain discounted Russian oil.

India is but to sentence the Russian assault on Ukraine and has been urgent for an instantaneous cessation of violence and a decision of the disaster by means of diplomacy and dialogue.

India, the world’s third-biggest oil-importing and consuming nation, has lengthy defended purchases of crude oil from Russia, underlining that its quantity of Russian imports are minuscule as in comparison with Europe’s purchases, and only a tiny fraction of the nation’s whole consumption.

Earlier this month, India as soon as once more asserted that its procurement of crude oil from Russia is guided by its power safety necessities.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated many nations have taken coverage choices with the same perspective and procurement of oil from Russia will not be an India-related subject.