U.S. President Joe Biden said that his administration was in consultation with India on Thursday and in the process of resolving issues stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi shares a close relationship with both Moscow and Washington and is having to walk a tightrope given the increasingly isolated position Russia finds itself in, following its invasion of Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday.
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“We were in consultation with India today. We haven’t resolved that completely,” Mr. Biden said in response to a reporter’s question on whether, India, a ‘Major Defense Partner’ of the U.S., was in-sync with the U.S. on Russia.
Prime Minster Narendra Modi had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and had called for “the immediate cessation of violence” and dialogue from all sides. India has been hesitant, including at the United Nations Security Council, to condemn Russian aggression.
India has also purchased a $ 5billion missile defence system, the S-400 Triumf, from Russia and is at risk of attracting U.S. sanctions – more so now than before Russia attacked Ukraine.
Mr. Biden announced additional sanctions on Russia on Thursday.
