Despite recent hiccups, US says Biden believes partnership with India one of the most important in world

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<strong>After being slammed for the riot order read out by its Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh during his recent India visit, the United States has clarified that it should not be characterized "as a warning" as the world's largest democracies continue to chart a new course to advance their partnership.</strong></p>
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Washington's damage-control exercise follows Singh's comments last month when he said that India should be prepared for "consequences" on account of its neutral position towards the Russia-Ukraine war.   <br />
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"I come here in a spirit of friendship to explain the mechanisms of our sanctions, the importance of joining us to express shared resolve and to advance shared interests. And yes, there are consequences to countries that actively attempt to circumvent or backfill these sanctions," Singh had said while urging not to boost Russian energy imports, and to avoid any moves that might "undermine" the US dollar.<br />
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Downplaying the US official’s unpalatable comments, just ahead of the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between India and the United States on Monday, Washington said that Singh only had a "constructive conversation" on the issue during his diplomatic trip.<br />
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"I wouldn't characterize it as a warning, nor did we at the time. He went and had a constructive conversation and made clear that while it's the decision of each individual country, including India, to determine whether they're going to import Russian oil, it is only 1 to 2 percent of their imports. About 10 percent of their imports is from the United States," said White House Press Secretary Psaki on Friday.</p>
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"And so he conveyed, of course, they should abide by sanctions, which are not related to that decision, but also, we would be here to help them diversify and move towards even reducing further beyond the 1 to 2 percent," she added.</p>
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While Quad partners Japan, Australia and the United States have heavily sanctioned Russia, India continues to maintain its consistent position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict that allows it to reach out to both sides to find a solution to the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue.<br />
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"The Quad is — with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of this. But Japan has been extremely strong, so has Australia, in terms of dealing with Putin’s aggression.  We presented a united front throughout NATO and the Pacific," US President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/03/21/remarks-by-president-biden-before-business-roundtables-ceo-quarterly-meeting/">said</a> on March 21 during his address to a business forum.<br />
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But, just as Washington gets ready to host External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the  White House Press Secretary reaffirmed the strength of the strategic relationship between the two countries.<br />
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"President Biden believes our partnership with India is one of the most important relationships we have in the world. As you know, he met with Presi- — Prime Minister Modi and other Quad leaders in March. He expects that at this 2+2, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin will continue driving forward our work with India and our shared goals in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world," said Psaki.</p>
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The US delegation for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on April 11 will be led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. Both Indian ministers are also scheduled to meet senior members of the US Administration to further advance the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.</p>
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"The Dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and vision for further consolidating the relationship. The 2+2 Dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern," said a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).<br />
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New Delhi has also reiterated that it has been "very open" about stabilizing the established economic relations with Moscow in the current circumstances. While making a statement during a reply to discussion on the situation in Ukraine in Parliament on Wednesday, Jaishankar had mentioned that attributing a political colouring to the legitimate pursuits of national interest by India – which are similar to what other nations are doing from their particular perspective – is completely uncalled for.<br />
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"I don't think there is any pressure. Some sanctions have been put by the USA but they are not on the whole trade… There is a lot of trade going, oil trade is also going on… Let me just emphasize that energy flows to Europe are continuing, fertiliser purchases have been insulated. There are such other examples also," said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday.</p>
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<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/pm-modi-offers-to-help-bridge-divide-between-russia-and-ukraine-during-talks-with-lavrov-161426.html">PM Modi offers to help bridge divide between Russia and Ukraine during talks with Lavrov </a></strong></p>