Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In this era of ‘balance of frenemies’ no country can afford to ignore another—as long as possible.
That is why, despite their different approaches to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, America, and India, the world’s two largest democracies, are “indispensable partners.”
The United States sees India as an indispensable partner, the White House asserted Wednesday, even as the two countries are pursuing their own national interests in Ukraine, according to a media report on Thursday.
“We see… the (Indian) partners as indispensable partners. And the US-India Strategic Partnership is grounded in our shared commitment to advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during her daily news conference.
She was responding to a question if the two countries’ relationship drifted apart in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “You’ve heard the President say this, the rule of law and the promotion of human freedom and dignity,” she said.
“We are confident in our relationship, and in the years ahead, we’ll continue to stand together to defend the rules-based order; foster greater peace, prosperity, and security for our people; advance a free and open Indo-Pacific; and together, address the challenges we face around the world,” Jean-Pierre added.
The United States, she said, has been very clear on where it stands with Ukraine. “We just announced a USD 3 billion additional security assistance to the country to make sure that the people are continuing to fight for their freedom. We have been — it’s not just us. You see that with our allies and partners. You see, a very unified NATO that — and they are unified because of the leadership of this President,” she asserted.
“You’re seeing that NATO will expand by two more countries. So this shows the strength in the West and how much we have come together in supporting Ukraine. And so, we’ve been very clear on where we stand. It is important to make sure that when a country is fighting for their freedom, fighting for their democracy, for their sovereignty, that we support that,” the press secretary said.