U.S. sends senior national security official to India to discuss Ukraine
By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s deputy nationwide safety adviser for economics, Daleep Singh, will journey to New Delhi and meet authorities officers to debate Russia’s conflict towards Ukraine and develop an financial framework for the Indo-Pacific, the White Home mentioned on Tuesday.
Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov can also be planning to go to India, one of many greatest consumers of Russian commodities. New Delhi has referred to as for an instantaneous ceasefire in Ukraine however has refused to explicitly condemn Moscow’s actions. India has additionally abstained from voting on a number of U.N. resolutions on the conflict.
“Singh will seek the advice of intently with counterparts on the implications of Russia’s unjustified conflict towards Ukraine and mitigating its affect on the worldwide economic system,” the White Home mentioned in a press release.
Final week, Biden mentioned solely India among the many Quad group of nations was “considerably shaky” in performing towards Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The South Asian nation has tried to stability its ties with Russia and the West however not like different members of the Quad international locations – United States, Japan, Australia – it has not imposed sanctions on Russia.
“In response to his aggression, now we have introduced a united entrance all through the NATO and within the Pacific,” Biden advised a enterprise discussion board final week, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The Quad – with the potential exception of India being considerably shaky on a few of these – however Japan has been extraordinarily robust, so is Australia by way of coping with Putin’s aggression,” he mentioned.
Russia promised on Tuesday to scale down navy operations round Ukraine’s capital and north, whereas Kyiv proposed adopting impartial standing, in confidence-building steps that had been the primary indicators of progress towards negotiating peace.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Modifying by David Gregorio)
