There is no tangible evidence of India deepening its military and technology relationship with Russia, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said, asserting that Moscow, which has become a "junior partner" to China, is not necessarily going to be a "great and reliable friend" to India in a future contingency.
Mr Sullivan made remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado while responding to questions about the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia for bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin.
"I think the biggest question is: Do we see tangible evidence that India is deepening its military and technology relationship with Russia? And I did not see tangible evidence out of that visit that it was deepening; I didn't see deliverables in that space," Mr Sullivan said.
"How concerned were you when Prime Minister Modi met President Putin, essentially at the same time that President Joe Biden was hosting the NATO leaders in Washington?" he was asked.
"Don't you think the bear hug was significant then?" he was asked. "Well, Modi has a certain way, of course, of greeting world leaders. I've seen it up close and personal, actually,'' Mr Sullivan said.
The Biden Administration, he said, never wants to see countries that the US cares about, who are its partners and friends, show up in Moscow and hug Putin. "Of course, we don't. I'm not going to sit here and tell people otherwise," he said.
''But in terms of our relationship with India, you know, we see enormous opportunities in technology, in economics, and in the statecraft and geopolitics of the wider Indo-Pacific region. And we want to deepen that relationship as equals, as two sovereign countries who also have relationships with other countries. And India has a historic relationship with Russia that they're not going to cut off,'' Mr Sullivan said.
"But we do believe that we want to continue to have a deep dialogue with India about the specifics and the nature of that relationship and whether it evolves, particularly, Demetri, because Russia is getting closer and closer to China, and as the junior partner to China, is not necessarily going to be a great and reliable friend to India in a future contingency or crisis."
"That's not something India needs to hear from Jake Sullivan, but it is a fact in the world. And it's something that we take into account as we have our strategic dialogue with India,'' said the US National Security Advisor, who was in New Delhi last month and met Prime Minister Modi and his counterpart Ajit Doval.
Mr Ajit Doval and Mr Sullivan also held a telephone conversation on July 12, days after PM Modi visited Russia.
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