US relationship with India stands on merit, Biden admin

The Biden administration has reaffirmed that America's relationship with India stands on its own merit and has not been impacted by the ongoing tension with Russia. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday in Washington. He was responding to a question if the US ties with India have been impacted due to the tension with Russia over Ukraine crisis. For the second time this week, the State Department spokesperson refrained from responding to questions related to India’s position on Ukraine in the United Nations Security Council. “I will leave it to our Indian partners to discuss their stance in the UN Security on this particular issue,” Price said.

As @SecBlinken made clear to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, the U.S. is prepared to engage in serious diplomacy with the Russian Federation on a reciprocal basis. This diplomacy, if it is to bear fruit, will need to take place in a context of deescalation. pic.twitter.com/PlzbrFTQLM

— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) February 2, 2022

Russian aggression against Ukraine and a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have implications for the security environment well beyond that neighbourhood. Whether it is the PRC or India or countries around the world, the implications would be far-reaching. And I think there is a broad understanding of that, the official added.