Ukraine to be on the agenda of Monday’s Biden-Monti online meeting

The conflict in Ukraine will be on the agenda of the online meeting on Monday between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Monti, the White House announced today, at a time when the United States has made it clear that it does not want to see an increase in Russian energy imports from India.

The US president will discuss “the consequences of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine and how to mitigate its destabilizing impact on the global food supply and raw materials market,” said Jen Psaki, her spokeswoman.

The two leaders did not reach a joint condemnation of the Russian invasion during their last conversation in early March during a meeting of the so-called “Quad” alliance, which is attended by the United States, India, Australia and Japan.

India has so far refused to take part in the vote condemning Moscow at the United Nations, saying it was “deeply disturbed” by the “killing” of civilians in the Ukrainian city of Butsa.

New Delhi describes Moscow as a “key pillar” of Indian foreign policy because of its “strategic cooperation” for its national security.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who met with Narendra Modi in New Delhi in early April, congratulated India on its balanced approach to the conflict.

Earlier, Joe Biden, on the other hand, described India as “hesitant” in its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Security in the Asia-Pacific region, the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis will be on the agenda of talks between Joe Biden and Narendra Monti, according to the US presidency.

Source: Capital

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