On Monday, the foreign and defence ministers of India and the United States (US) met in Washington for the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The meeting between the four ministers—Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and their American counterparts Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin—took place in Washington following a virtual interaction between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
The Dialogue was held against the backdrop of slightly tense bilateral relations. 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.”
Below is a summary of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue:
According to a readout published by the US Department of Defense, the meeting majorly focused on a wide range of security, across the Indian Ocean region and East and Southeast Asia to Europe, with a continued emphasis on ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. In this regard, Lloyd Austin explored avenues for cooperation with the Indian military “across all domains of potential conflict” via information-sharing, liaison exchanges, joint service engagements, and combined operations.
Keeping this in mind, they signed a Space Situational Awareness and announced the launch of a Defense Artificial Intelligence Dialogue to expand cooperation in space and cyberspace, respectively.
Concluded a productive and substantive 2+2 Ministerial Meeting.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 12, 2022
Discussed contemporary challenges and issues in an open and constructive manner. Resolved that our strategic partnership would continue to grow and play a greater role in shaping the direction of world affairs. pic.twitter.com/dO9GwvzAI6
Furthermore, they spoke of the need to continue to expand ties with Quad partners Australia and Japan as well as European nations to protect democracy and regional security.
The officials also jointly called on Pakistan to “take immediate, sustained, and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under its control is used to terrorist attacks,” pointing to groups such as al-Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
These sentiments about defence cooperation were echoed in a statement published by Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, who said the US-India partnership is of “critical importance” for peace in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region. In this regard, he announced that India has joined the multilateral Combined Maritime Force (CMF), based in Bahrain, as an associate partner, which he said will “strengthen cooperation in regional security” in the Western Indian Ocean. He also noted that the two sides had agreed on the importance of strengthening their engagement via the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) to jointly develop “emerging and critical military technologies.” Likewise, he spoke of the need for US defence companies to invest in India under PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Live now! @SecBlinken holds a joint press availability with @SecDef Lloyd Austin, Indian Minister of External Affairs @DrSJaishankar, and Indian Minister of Defense @rajnathsingh. https://t.co/9P2EodAtY8
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 11, 2022
The US Department of Defense said the quartet also discussed expanding ties in defence, science and technology, trade, climate, public health, and people-to-people ties.
Away from defence ties, a media note put out by the US Department of State said that the four ministers discussed a number of topics related to global diplomacy. To begin with, they jointly reiterated their calls for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine, “unequivocally condemned civilian deaths,” and called for the respect of international law and the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.”
Apart from Ukraine, the ministers emphasised on the need for ASEAN centrality in order to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea. In addition, they hailed the Quad Working Groups on vaccines, climate change, infrastructure, space, cyber security, and critical and emerging technologies for their role in “delivering practical and tangible benefits to the region.” Keeping the success of these groups in mind, the ministers said they must seek to replicate this collaboration in areas such as food security, clean energy, waste management, and infrastructure.
Regarding the United Nations (UN), the US reaffirmed its support for India’s bid for permanent membership in the UN Security Council and its accession to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group. In a similar vein, it offered its full support as India gears up to take over the G20 presidency from Indonesia in December.
Had a very meaningful and in-depth discussion at the 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in Washington DC.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) April 12, 2022
During the meeting, we shared our assessments of the situation in our neighbourhood and Indian Ocean Region.
India-US Defence Cooperation is being further expanded and strengthened. pic.twitter.com/QHnArmelfs
Next, the ministers spoke of the need to push the Taliban to ensure that Afghanistan is not used as a haven for terror groups. They also spoke of the need for the group to guarantee the rights of all Afghan citizens, including women, children, and members of minorities via an “inclusive” government that provides “unhindered access for the United Nations and its implementing partners to deliver humanitarian assistance.”
Along the same lines, they called for “cessation of violence” in Myanmar and for the implementation of the ASEAN Five Point Consensus. Though they did not name the junta, they urged a “swift return to the path of democracy and inclusive governance.”
The ministers said that increased cooperation in crisis zones must also be made in the humanitarian sphere and thus announced a new initiative between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and India’s Development Partnership Administration (DPA).
Live now! @SecBlinken, @SecDef Lloyd Austin, Indian Minister of External Affairs @DrSJaishankar, and Indian Minister of Defense @rajnathsingh participate in the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. https://t.co/YYg1Z9e0Pq
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 11, 2022
They also underscored that business ties must be grounded in sustainable practices that are guided by the Blue Dot Network and Build Back Better World (B3W) Initiative. To this end, the US reaffirmed that it plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and jointly agreed to work on reducing ocean plastic pollution. Furthermore, India welcomed the US’ decision to sign the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance and a $500 million investment by the US International Development Finance Corporation to produce solar panels in India.
In his opening remarks, Secretary of State Blinken hailed the relationship between the “oldest and biggest democracies in the world,” which now enters its 75th year.
Secretary of Defence Austin, meanwhile, called for greater defence cooperation in order to jointly confront China, which he said is “seeking to refashion the region and the international system more broadly in ways that serve its authoritarian interests.”
Indian EAM Jaishankar, on the other hand, celebrated the $160 billion trade relationship as well as the fact that 200,000 Indians study in the US.
Lastly, the Indian Defence Minister said the US has a crucial role to play in India’s Neighbourhood First and Act East policies.
It was an honor to join @RajnathSingh, @DrSJaishankar & @SecBlinken for a terrific U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial. Our discussions reaffirmed that we're building one of the most consequential partnerships of our times, as we work together to sustain a #FreeandOpenIndoPacific. 🇺🇸 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Zj0xHgHwpE
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) April 12, 2022
Following their opening remarks, the four ministers held a lengthy discussion. Blinken began these talks by calling on India to “condemn Moscow’s increasingly brutal actions” in Ukraine, which he said “stands in stark contrast to the vision that the United States and India share for a free and open Indo-Pacific.” He noted that Russia’s actions are having a “profound impact” across the globe in terms of food insecurity and inflationary pressures.
On the topic of human rights abuses, he noted that the Biden administration is “monitoring some recent concerning developments in India, including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police, and prison officials,” though he did not offer further detail.
EAM Jaishankar: good part of my meeting with Secretary Blinken in the morning went to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine that has many ramifications. Even countries far away are worrying about energy security, food security, commodities prices and logistics disruption. pic.twitter.com/Md9JY9OTzV
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 12, 2022
Indian EAM Jaishankar noted Blinken’s comments about the “global impact” of the Russia-Ukraine war, commenting on how it has affected energy and food security, commodity prices, and logistics.
Next, the ministers answered questions from moderators. When asked about India’s refusal to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Blinken noted that India has “made very strong statements in New York at the UN [and] before the Indian parliament” in which it has condemned the “killing of civilians in Ukraine” and called for an independent investigation into atrocities such as the Bucha massacre. In this respect, he also celebrated that India has delivered humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
This point was reiterated by Jaishankar, who said that India has made its position on the Ukraine war very clear at the UN, in its parliament, “and in other forums.” He underscored that “we’re against the conflict; we are for dialogue and diplomacy; we are for an urgent cessation of violence; and we are prepared to contribute in multiple ways to these objectives.”
In this respect, he also referred to the hypocrisy of Western nations regarding criticism of India’s oil purchases, saying, “our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon. So you might want to think about that.”
Blinken: Russia's war in Ukraine is attack on rules based order. Russia's action causing hike of food prices pic.twitter.com/VRTJQHYlkq
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 12, 2022
Blinken said, however, that while the US has called on all democracies to “stand together and speak with one voice to defend the values that we share,” it also recognises that “India has to make its own decisions about how it approaches this challenge.” He acknowledged that India has deep, historic ties with Russia, noting that “India’s relationship with Russia has developed over decades at a time when the United States was not able to be a partner to India.”
In addition, referring to India’s plans to deploy the Russian S-400 missile defence system, Blinken stressed that while the US “continues continue to urge all countries to avoid major new transactions for Russian weapons systems.” However, he was non-committal when asked whether Washington plans to impose sanctions or offer waivers under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. However, he added that the US is ready to replace Russia as a “security partner of choice” for India so that it will not have to consider making such a decision in the first place.
Jaishankar pointed out that India-US energy ties are also expanding, saying the US is the second-largest supplier of LNG to India and the fourth or fifth-largest crude oil supplier. Likewise, in terms of defence ties, Singh highlighted that over the past ten years, defence imports from the US had risen from a “negligible” amount to over $20 billion.