The US State Department has expressed its willingness to engage with India in resolving ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Stating that New Delhi is a major partner of Washington, the US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said that the United States would welcome any “constructive engagement” from India regarding resolving the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
US State Department said on December 18, said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has a “close productive working relationship” with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, adding that the Biden administration has focused a “great deal of time and attention” on the ties with India.
Addressing the daily press briefing, Miller said, “The secretary (Blinken) has a close productive working relationship with his, counterpart (Jaishankar). We have welcomed him here in the past couple of months. And of course, the secretary has travelled to India twice, just since September. President Biden has travelled to India this year”.
India is a major partner of the US, and the Biden administration has focused a great deal of time and attention on ties with India. Previous visits to India include the G20 Summit and bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On being asked about what role India could play in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Europe and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East, the State Department spokesperson said that Washington would welcome any “constructive engagement” from New Delhi.
“I would say that we would welcome India’s constructive engagement in these two matters as we welcome constructive engagement from countries around the world,” Miller said. Earlier, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar went on a nine-day-long visit to the US in September.
“India and the US: Expanding Horizons,” Jaishankar posted on X (formerly Twitter) after concluding his visit. During his visit, Jaishankar held meetings with top US officials, namely; Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
He also met members of Congress, administration, business and think tank heads at India House there. He also had ‘productive discussions’ with think tanks in Washington, DC, discussing India-US collaboration in the emerging technology space and building resilient supply chains.
Prior to this, US President Joe Biden also came to India for the G20 Summit during New Delhi’s presidency. He held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and stressed the need for further expanding ties for a comprehensive strategic partnership.
PM Modi went on a State visit to the US in June this year. He received a rousing welcome at the White House. He also held a bilateral meeting with President Biden, after which the two countries signed several new initiatives.
(with inputs from ANI)
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