Observing that India has a long-standing relationship with Russia, the US has said that it has "encouraged" New Delhi to utilise its "unique" ties with Moscow and urge President Vladimir Putin to end the "illegal war" against Ukraine.
These remarks were made by State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller on Monday at his daily news conference in response to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow and his meetings with President Putin last week.
“India has a longstanding relationship with Russia. I think that's well-known. And we have encouraged India to utilise that relationship with Russia, that long-standing relationship and the unique position that they have, to urge President Putin to end his illegal war and to find a just peace, a lasting peace to this conflict; to tell Putin to respect the UN Charter, to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Miller said.
“That's what we'll continue to impress upon the Government of India, which is an important partner of ours when it comes to their relationship with Russia,” Miller said in response to a question.
Miller made similar remarks on July 9 soon after Prime Minister Modi left Russia.
PM Modi was in Russia for two days from July 8-9 for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit that has been watched closely by the West amidst the raging Ukraine conflict.
This was the Prime Minister Modi's first visit to Russia since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in February, 2022.
During his talks with Putin on July 9, Prime Minister Modi told him that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed amid bombs and bullets.
India has been stoutly defending its "special and privileged strategic partnership" with Russia and maintained the momentum in the ties notwithstanding the Ukraine conflict.
India has not yet condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has consistently pitched for a resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Imran Khan's Party To Be Banned By Pak For Alleged Anti-State Activities
Gautam Adani Amazed At US Envoy Eric Garcetti's Love For Kadak Chai, Chhole Bhature Himachal Chief Minister Urges PM Modi To Support State's Green Initiatives "So Proud Of My Friend, Classmate": Vivek Ramaswamy On JD Vance, Trump's Veep Pick Under-Fire Trainee IAS Officer Accuses Pune Collector Of Harassment Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Recalled To Academy, Training Put On Hold Anand Mahindra Shares Picture Of US Senator's Indian Wedding, Calls It... Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 2.39 Lakh Admission Deadline Extended For EWS And Special Needs Children UGC Launches Project To Develop 22,000 Books In Indian Languages Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.