Not seeking to change India-Russia ties: United States on Russian FM’s India visit

The United States spokesman Ned Price on Thursday said every country has its own relationship with the Russian Federation and the US is not seeking any change in that. This statement, by the US spokesperson comes as Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to New Delhi amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“Different countries are going to have their own relationship with the Russian Federation. It’s a fact of history. It’s a fact of geography. That is not something that we are seeking to change. What we are seeking to do, whether it is in the context of India or other partners and allies around the world, is to do all we can to see to it that the international community is speaking in unison,” news agency ANI reported Ned Price as saying.

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“Speaking loudly against this unjustified, unprovoked, premeditated aggression, calling for an end to the violence, using the leverage that countries, including India, have to those ends. There are countries that by dint of their long-standing relationships with the Russian Federation are going to have in some ways even more leverage than countries closer to us will,” he said.

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Reacting to India working out any rupee-rouble conversion for trade, the state department spokesperson said, “I would refer to our Indian partners when it comes to any such rupee-ruble conversion that may have been discussed. When it comes to the Quad, one of the core principles of the Quad is the idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific. That is specific in that context to the Indo-Pacific. But these are principles, these are ideals that transcend any geographic region.”

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On Thursday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in India on a two-day visit. He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday.

India’s position on Russia amid the war has been a subject of global scrutiny and discussion as India has not condemned Russian aggression but called for a ceasefire.

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US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo has criticised the Russian foreign minister’s visit to New Delhi and said it is ‘deeply disappointing.

The US has also warned India against increasing its oil imports saying that it could expose New Delhi to a great risk.