New Delhi: Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Russia elicited strong reactions from Washington DC, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval Friday held a phone call with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan.
Though the war in Ukraine was not explicitly mentioned, a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) about the phone call states: “They [Sullivan and Doval] reiterated the need to work collectively to address global challenges to peace and security.”
The two national security advisors agreed to work closely to further advance India-US relations, which are built on “shared values and common strategic and security interests,” it added.
The Quad framework, to be held this month in July, was also a topic of discussion.
The last time the two top security officials met was in New Delhi in June during the annual meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) between the two countries. US President Joe Biden and Modi announced the iCET in May 2022 which seeks to expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell accompanied Sullivan on this visit, at a time when New Delhi and Washington are also working together to address claims that Indian agents allegedly played a role in the foiled assassination of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.
Shortly after his visit to Delhi, Campbell said Washington has “consistently asked for updates” on the high-level enquiry committee set up by India last November to investigate the allegations. At an online press briefing on 25 June, he said the US sought accountability from India on this issue.
The phone call comes shortly after Modi concluded his visit to Moscow, which coincided with a deadly attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Modi’s hug with Putin during this time was a “blow” to peace efforts.
That said, during the Moscow visit, strong messaging emerged from the Indian side that a “solution cannot be found on the battlefield”. This was expected to build on Modi’s words to Putin in September 2022 when he conveyed that “today’s era is not of war”.
Following Modi’s visit, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti remarked Thursday, while speaking at the US-India Defense News Conclave, that “in times of conflict, there’s no such thing as strategic autonomy”.
Modi’s visit to Russia also coincided with the NATO Summit in Washington DC that commemorated the 75th anniversary of the military alliance between Europe and America that was formed after World War 2.
The summit sought to shore up support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, during which NATO leaders agreed to begin transferring F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine. These are among the most sophisticated American-made fighter jets known for their manoeuvrability and combat radius.
A joint statement from the NATO Summit also accused China of becoming a “decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine” through its support for Russia’s defence industrial base.
In no uncertain terms, the statement also read: “Ukraine’s future is in NATO”.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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