India, US review Ukraine situation |
State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed that Secretary Blinken spoke with Minister Dr. Jaishankar to review regional and global priorities, including the situation in Ukraine. Dr. Jaishankar and Blinken agreed to remain closely connected on developments. It was the second telephonic conversation between Jaishankar and Blinken in a week amid increasing disquiet in the West over India`s indication to buy larger volumes of discounted crude oil from Russia. Jaishankar tweeted, ”Spoke to @SecBlinken ahead of our 2+2 consultations. Discussed bilateral issues and latest developments pertaining to Ukraine.” The conversation between the two top diplomats came ahead of the next edition of India-US `2+2` foreign and defense ministerial talks scheduled in Washington. Dr. Jaishankar and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are set to travel to Washington to hold talks with their American counterparts Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. The phone conversation between Jaishankar and Blinken followed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov`s two-day visit to India during which he said Moscow has begun moving toward conducting trade in national currencies with India and other partners to bypass the “impediments” of Western sanctions. Last week, US Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics Daleep Singh also visited India. Meanwhile, Jaishankar told the Indian Parliament that India was strongly against the conflict in Ukraine. Jaishankar said quote “What is India advocating in Ukraine? We are, first and foremost, strongly against conflict. We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of innocent lives. In this day and age, dialogue and diplomacy are the right answers to any dispute” end quote. The Minister told the House that India has chosen the side of peace and immediate end to violence.
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