War in Ukraine strengthened relationship with India; did not break ties: US official

By Press Trust of India: India’s long-standing relationship with Russia supplies it a novel place to induce Russian President Vladimir Putin to complete his battle and to withdraw from Ukrainian territory, Biden administration’s degree particular person for South and Central Asia on Thursday talked about that the battle in Ukraine has the reality is “reinforced” India-US bilateral ties, in its place of breaking it.

“It’s true, we have not always shared the same approach to Russia’s war in Ukraine. But we do share the belief that this war should end as soon as possible, and it should end according to the UN Charter, principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence,” US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu knowledgeable PTI in an interview.

“India’s long-standing relationship with Russia gives it a unique position to urge Vladimir Putin to end his war and to withdraw from Ukrainian territory. We agree with India that Russia’s war in Ukraine must end with a negotiated settlement and that enduring and just peace is essential,” Lu talked about in response to a question.

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“We welcome India’s support for the people of Ukraine by providing humanitarian assistance. And we welcome Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s comments at the G-20 Summit in Bali, calling for dialogue and diplomacy,” he talked about.

Since the first days of the battle, India and the United States have had mounted communication on the best ranges of their governments and that cooperation will proceed, he talked about.

“We are hopeful that India can use its relationship and its influence with Russia to call for Russia to end this war,” he talked about.

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Responding to a question, Lu talked about the Ukraine battle had not been a “difficult moment” on this relationship. “In fact, I’ve said the opposite, which is to look at where we are now. We didn’t come from the same perspective and yet we found a way to communicate seriously about this. We found a way to listen to one another. We found a way to support one another in this process of trying to create our policies,” he talked about.

“I recall a time when India was trying to evacuate its students from Ukraine and I hope that India felt the support of America as it did this. I know that we’ve had lots of discussions about India’s interaction with Russia and with Ukraine through this crisis, and we’ve had quite good communication,” he talked about.

“So, what’s interesting is that the Ukrainian war did not break our relations. In fact, it reinforced our relations. It reinforced an ability to work through disagreements sometimes to find a way to work together cooperatively. I’m actually very optimistic. If we can work through that tough issue, we can work through anything,” Lu knowledgeable PTI.

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