Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the United States has had continuous communications with India about what the two can do “together” to hold Russia “to account”, the U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said on July 4. India and the U.S. share the goals of “preventing this conflict from spreading, promoting stability in the Middle East, and efforts to establish a future Palestinian state”, he said, in an email interview to The Hindu.
Welcoming India’s support in providing humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine, Mr. Garcetti said that the U.S. appreciated the strength of the strategic partnership with India to “coordinate and exchange perspectives” on such challenges.
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“Since the first days of Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have had continuous communication with our Indian counterparts about what we can do together to hold Russia to account and impose consequences for its war of conquest,” Mr. Garcetti said in the interview, ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit scheduled to be held from July 9 to 11.
Incidentally, on the eve of the NATO summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Russia on July 8 and 9 for the 22nd annual summit between the two countries.
Support for Ukraine
“Going forward, we want to make sure that Ukraine is a success, that it stands strongly on its own feet militarily, economically, democratically, and that’s exactly what we’re enabling Ukraine to do,” the U.S. envoy added.
Last week, in an interview with The Hindu Business Line, Mr. Garcetti said that the U.S., together with dozens of allies, is standing up against the idea that one country should be able to take the land of another by brute force. “Let me hope that India will continue to recognise that principle and work with us to identify those companies that are fuelling the Russian war machine that has taken tens of thousands of lives,” he had said.
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Stating that India cares deeply about the people of Ukraine and has long-standing ties with the country, while also noting that India has a close relationship with the people and government of Russia, Mr. Garcetti hoped that India could continue to play a “constructive role” towards peace. At the same time, he also cautioned that any Indian companies that violate global sanctions “will have to be aware of the consequences they face in the international market.”
Ambitious agenda
The U.S. Ambassador termed India as an important strategic partner of the U.S., noting that the two nations are pursuing an “ambitious” agenda to expand their cooperation in several areas. “We’re working together on world-shaping initiatives that extend from the depths of the seabed to the furthest reaches of the stars,” Mr. Garcetti said.
Quoting U.S. President Joe Biden, who had said that the U.S. and India share one of the “most consequential” relationships in the world, Mr. Garcetti said, “When we work together, our might is multiplicative – it’s not just the U.S. plus India, it’s the U.S. times India.” This, he said, is playing out in many ways, including a “game-changing” initiative to co-produce jet engines; a trade relationship of more than $190 billion; and more Indian students coming to study in the U.S. than ever before.
‘No NATO presence in India’
Asked whether NATO had formally asked to set up a presence in India, Mr. Garcetti said, “There is no NATO presence in India, and I’m not aware of a request for one.” However, he said, NATO members have an interest – like the rest of the world – in ensuring a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region, and noted that many NATO members are strong defence partners to India. “For example, India conducts more military exercises with the United States than with any other country. It is in our global interest to see that the Indo-Pacific remains secure and that India is a leader in the region,” he stated.
In May last year, the U.S. House Select Committee on the strategic competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party recommended strengthening the ‘NATO-Plus’ framework by including India into the alliance. This was rejected by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar who said that the “NATO template does not apply to India”.
On NATO’s prospects, the Ambassador pointed to the recent inclusion of Finland and Sweden into the alliance, adding that, over the past three years, NATO allies have increased their annual defence spending by almost $80 billion.
Published - July 04, 2024 10:25 pm IST
