US State Dept Counsellor says USA will be India's Reliable Partner

US State Dept Counsellor says USA will be India’s Reliable Partner, not Russia. 

Washington: The US, not Russia, will be India’s “reliable” partner following the Ukraine conflict. 

The Biden Administration asserted that it is willing to go above and beyond to satisfy New Delhi’s defense and national security needs.

“I believe there are legitimate concerns about Russia’s ability to be a trusted partner shortly.” It is also because Russia is depleting its military hardware at an alarming rate. 

In an interview with PTI, US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet said, “It confronts critical resupply needs of its own.”

Chollet, who holds the position of Under Secretary of State and senior policy advisor to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said the Biden administration is willing to collaborate with India as it diversifies its defense capabilities and suppliers.

“We’d love to be a part of that.” In terms of defense, we’re doing far more than we’ve ever done in the history of our partnership. As a result, as India seeks to acquire new capabilities, the US wants to be a partner with India in that endeavor,” he said.

MORE: Russia imposes sanctions on US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Chollet said that the military weaponry delivered by Russia has proven to be ineffective. “Doing business with Russia will only become more difficult over time.” Given all of the sanctions imposed on Russia in the previous 12 weeks, it’s gotten considerably more difficult,” he said.

“Also, the export controls on Russia… Russia’s inability to import essential technologies to manufacture certain products, including some of its military hardware, will mean that it will have a difficult time replacing or producing this type of stuff.” 

“So, in terms of actual competence, the difficulties of doing business with Russia, and the reputation costs involved with doing business with Russia, Russia is simply a significantly less appealing partner,” he said.

On the other hand, Chollet avoided a linear response to a question about the US deploying its Seventh Fleet to the Bay of Bengal during the India-Pakistan War in December 1971. 

Many in India believe a sign of the US not being a loyal partner when it is needed.

“The United States has demonstrated during this crisis, something we believe, that we are a very loyal partner. If you think back…the US decided to start sharing some of the most sensitive intelligence we had about Russia’s plans and intentions in Ukraine as part of our effort to be a reliable partner and to bring the world together and make them aware of what we were seeing and try to create a unified effort,”

The Ukrainian conflict, according to Chollet, has had little impact on India-US relations.

“Russia’s Ukraine invasion has not influenced the US-India relationship.” “The connection between the United States and India is deep and robust,” he said. He added that it enjoys bipartisan support in Washington.

“Of course, we’ve discussed everything from UN votes to the defense connection with Russia with our Indian friends.” It was discussed at the 2+2 (ministerial meeting) recently. Still, given India’s long-standing defense partnership with Russia, we fully understand the situation,” he said.

“It’s crucial to highlight that, in our opinion, the defense cooperation (between India and Russia) began and developed when the United States was unavailable to India as a partner.” “We’re in a different era right now,” he explained.

Even ten years ago, the US-India defense partnership was in a far different and more positive state. “The potential and continuous growth of the US-India defense relationship is one of the main outcomes of the 2+2 process,” he said.

The 2+2 meeting’s agenda was evidence of the strategic relationship between the US and India’s breadth and depth.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington for the 2-2 ministerial dialogue earlier this month. 

A virtual conference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden preceded the 2+2 ministerial meeting.

Chollet stated that the Biden administration has yet to decide on CAATSA sanctions now that India has begun purchasing Russian S-400 missile systems.

“We haven’t made a decision yet” (CAATSA sanctions). But we’re returning to the overarching subject of our desire to strengthen our defense collaboration with India. He stated, “We are excited to collaborate with India…”

Chollet compared the advancement in the India-US relationship since the Clinton administration to a rocket flying into space with distinct stages, regardless of whose party is in control.

“We’re building on the efforts of our forefathers and mothers.” It’s significant because it involves both Republicans and Democrats. 

There has been a consistent trend of closer cooperation and partnership. “People-to-people ties between our two countries guide us,” he remarked.

“Our governments are having to catch up to where our people and society are in many aspects of the US-India relationship,” he said.