A senior United States (US) official revealed that US President Joe Biden made it clear that it would not be in India’s best interest to “accelerate or increase” Russian energy imports during a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Monday. To this end, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Biden expressed his willingness to help New Delhi diversify its energy imports and reduce its reliance on Russian oil.
Nevertheless, according to a release by the White House, Biden also said that the US is committed to an “open conversation” by not forcing India “to do anything in particular.” The US reiterated that while Washington had banned oil, Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), and coal imports from Russia, other countries “have to make their own choices.” In a press conference, a White House official said that Biden understands that India is “not a major consumer of Russian oil,” which only accounts for about 1-2% of its total energy imports.
Biden also noted India’s concerns about “the links between Russia and China,” specifically in light of the “very tense situation along the Line of Actual Control.”
The meeting was held in the presence of Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, who were in Washington for the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with their American counterparts, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin.
During Biden’s opening remarks, he “welcomed” India’s decision to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which he said is the victim of a “tragic assault” at the hands of Russia. In this regard, he reassured that India and the US would continue to conduct consultations to “manage the destabilising effect of the Russian war.”
Meanwhile, PM Modi conveyed that the talks with Biden were critical to guiding the 2+2 discussions that followed their meeting. While he expressed concern about the “worrying” situation in Ukraine, his focus remained on the success of India’s evacuation efforts. He revealed that during the weeks leading up to the evacuations, he was in constant touch with the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, and appealed for peace, pushing for “direct talks” between the two leaders.
Addressing the India-US virtual summit with @POTUS @JoeBiden. https://t.co/sgYlj2nqSG
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 11, 2022
In this regard, a senior Biden administration official told the press after the meeting that the US recognises that India is “going to make its own judgments.” They added that the US has noted that although India has not voted against Russia in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) or the UN General Assembly, it has “in recent days made “some pretty strong statements in New York condemning the killings of civilians, supporting calls for an investigation.” They added that the US appreciates India’s delivery of humanitarian relief to Ukraine as well.
Modi also informed that the Ukraine issue has been extensively discussed in the Indian Parliament, specifically referring to the “worrying” killings in Bucha. While highlighting the importance of protecting civilians and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, he asserted that India hopes that the dialogue between the two sides will result in peace.
I spoke today with Prime Minister Modi of India. We committed to strengthening our defense, economic, and people-to-people relationship to together seek a peaceful and prosperous world. pic.twitter.com/o30ij9reIY
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2022
The pair also addressed several issues of regional and global concern, including tensions in South Asia, the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to strengthen the global economy, and the importance of protecting a free and open Indo-Pacific. Further details on these issues were discussed in the 2+2 discussions.
The call between the two leaders and the 2+2 meeting comes as India seeks to balance its ties with the US and other Western powers and Russia. India has faced criticism from the US for its failure to condemn Russia for its atrocities in Ukraine. In fact, Biden has even referred to India’s position on the Ukraine crisis as “somewhat shaky,” while other senior officials from his administration have even gone as far as to warn of “consequences.”