“We’ve had a number of meetings with our Indian partners, and the point that we’ve made is that each nation will have a different relationship with Moscow,” State Department spokeswoman Ned Price said at a news briefing.
“India’s connection with Russia has evolved over many decades.” As countries adjust their relations with Moscow, as many have done, it will be a slow process, he added.
“But throughout it all, we’ve made it clear to our Indian partners that we are there for them, that we are ready, able, and willing to cooperate with them, and we have,” he said.
“Of course, we recently had a ‘2+2’ talk with our Indian colleagues.” We will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi again in the framework of the I2U2, the agreement we have with the UAE and Israel, as well as India, including India into many of our alliances, including, of course, the Quad,” he added.
India’s strategically autonomous foreign policy toward the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which began earlier this year, has thrust New Delhi into the worldwide limelight. Given New Delhi’s growing cooperation with Washington in the Quad grouping, many believed that India would ally itself with Ukraine and against Russia.
The US has frequently said publicly that it knows India’s historic connections with Russia and how difficult it would be for India to terminate relations with Russia swiftly.