India-US 2+2 talks: The two countries discussed a wide range of topics, including the COVID-19 response, supply chains, climate action, and global and regional issues, but Russia’s war on Ukraine and its global ramifications appeared to be the main focus of the day.
“Obviously, a good portion of my morning meeting with Secretary Blinken [US Secretary of State Antony Blinken] went to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has many ramifications,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said at the State Department’s joint press conference of Defense and Foreign Ministers on Monday afternoon.
Mr. Blinken stated that all countries, “particularly those with leverage,” should press [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to end the conflict. To defend their shared values, he urged democracies to “stand together” and speak “with one voice.” Mr. Blinken stated that these values “must apply everywhere,” implying that they apply not only to the Indo-Pacific, where India has been confronted by an aggressive China on its borders but also to the Russia-Ukraine situation.
At various points during the meeting, both Foreign Ministers were forced to explain the India-Russia relationship. Mr. Jaishankar seemed irritated by reporters’ questions about India’s stance on Russia, thanking them sarcastically twice for the “advice” they gave him in response to their questions. “Looking at the figures, probably our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon,” Mr. Jaishankar said of India’s purchases of Russian energy.
He also stated that the US and India discussed ways to lessen the negative impact of the Ukraine crisis on food and energy supplies, a subject that was also discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden on Monday morning. Mr. Jaishankar stated that India had already begun assisting in the supply of wheat and sugar in order to alleviate global shortages.
Mr. Blinken repeatedly stated that India and Russia have a “long history” and “long relationship” dating back to a time when the United States was unable to partner with India, but that the United States is now “both willing and able” to do so, and that this was a topic of discussion today.
In Ukraine, the Secretary stated that India had made “very strong statements” at the United Nations condemning the killing of civilians and that Mr. Jaishankar had done the same in Parliament. The United States has yet to make a decision on CAATSA sanctions.
Mr. Blinken said in 2+2 talks the US had “not yet made a determination regarding potential sanctions or potential waivers” under the US CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) law for New Delhi’s purchase of Moscow’s S-400 Triumf missile defense system.
The US is keeping an eye on the rise in “human rights abuses” in India: Blinken in 2+2 talks
Mr. Blinken also brought up the issue of India’s rising human rights abuses in 2+2 talks. On Tuesday, the US State Department will release its annual Human Rights Report.
Mr. Blinken stated during the 2+2 talks that India and the United States shared a commitment to democratic values, including the protection of human rights. The United States, on the other hand, was concerned about rising human rights violations in India.
” We discuss these shared values with our Indian partners on a regular basis. To that end, we’re keeping an eye on some recent troubling developments in India, such as a rise in human rights violations by government, police, and prison officials,” he said in 2+2 talks.
Cooperation in the ‘domains of warfighting’
India and the United States also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Space Situational Awareness on Monday, paving the way for future cooperation in space. According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the two sides discussed deepening cooperation not only in space but also in cyberspace in order to develop capabilities in both “war-fighting domains.”
Concerns about the region were discussed in 2+2 talks
Mr. Jaishankar mentioned Afghanistan several times during 2+2 talks, claiming that the two sides discussed the ramifications of the situation in Afghanistan (where the Taliban has taken control following a chaotic U.S. departure in August last year) for the region. Mr. Blinken, on the other hand, made no mention of Afghanistan during the 2+2 talks.
Other countries in India’s neighborhood were discussed presumably Sri Lanka, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, and Pakistan, which has a new Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who took over from former Prime Minister Imran Khan following a no-confidence vote in parliament.
While the Indian ministers made no mention of China during the press conference, the US Defense Secretary did. “The People’s Republic of China is attempting to reshape the region and the international system in ways that benefit its own interests.” “As a result, I’m pleased that we’ve identified new opportunities to expand our militaries’ operational reach and coordinate more closely across the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Mr. Austin had said in his Monday morning meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that China was building “dual-use infrastructure” along India’s border and that the US would “continue to stand alongside” India to defend its sovereign interests.