India developed ties with Russia as US couldn't do it earlier: Blinken

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said India and Russia became partners of choice out of necessity when the United States was not in a position to be New Delhi's partner. But now that the US is working towards strengthening ties with India, there is a growing strategic convergence between the United States and India, Blinken said at a Congressional hearing by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations. His opinion on the India-US relationship was sought by Senator William Hagerty during the hearing on Wednesday. The India-US relationship is one of the most debated issues in the aftermath of New Delhi's decision to not sever trade ties with Russia even after it attacked Ukraine. Blinken said US President Joe Biden has spent "a lot of time directly engaging with Prime Minister Modi and India's leadership"."We have energised the Quad that brings India together with Australia and Japan and us. This has been a very important vehicle for strengthening our collaboration across a whole variety of fronts with India," he said.

In the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, Blinken said a number of countries are now relooking their relationship with Russia. "And in the case of India, there was a relationship that goes back to decades. Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner. Now, we are investing in that effort. I think there is a growing strategic convergence between the United States and India. And of course, China is a big part of that," Blinken said. Following the sanctions imposed by the US on Russia, New Delhi's deals with Moscow have come on the radar. Though Washington clarified that as long as the deals do not violate the sanctions, it is none of its business, it also implied that it won't like India to depend on Moscow now that the US is ready to co-operate with India. New Delhi has also made it clear in no uncertain terms that it will continue trade with Russia in the interest of the nation.