US Backs India to ‘Break The Ice’ in Seeking Lasting Peace Amid Ukraine War – News18

The United States welcomes India to play a constructive role to work towards lasting peace amid the war in Ukraine, the State Department said on Monday.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller made these remarks in response to a question about whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led India can still break the ice and play a key role to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“…I would say we welcome a role that India or any other country could play in helping achieve a just and lasting peace that recognizes Ukraine’s territorial integrity and recognizes Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Miller said during a press briefing.

This comment comes on the heels of PM Modi’s landmark visit to the US, which was a number of deliverables in the field of defence and tech.

Differences persist between Washington and New Delhi over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. India has urged both sides to resolve their differences through diplomacy.

New Delhi continues to maintain strong ties with Moscow for its defense needs and has sharply increased its imports of cheap Russian oil, frustrating the West.

Asked by the Wall Street Journal about Western criticism of India for not taking a more forceful stance against Russia over Ukraine, Modi last month said: “I don’t think this type of perception is widespread in the US.”

“I think India’s position is well known and well understood in the entire world. The world has full confidence that India’s top-most priority is peace,” he said in the WSJ interview.

Last month, PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation around Ukraine and how Moscow had resolved an armed mercenary mutiny.

In a telephone call on June 30, Moscow said that Modi had expressed support for what the Kremlin called the Russian leadership’s decisive actions in handling the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group.

(With agency inputs)