US expresses concerns to India about its relations with Russia after Modi's visit to Moscow
Photo: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
The United States has expressed concern to India about its relations with Russia amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
India has faced constant pressure from the West to distance itself from Russia. However, New Delhi has always said that it cannot do so because of its long-standing economic ties with Moscow.
On his first visit to Russia after the beginning of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the meeting "will surely go a long way in further cementing the bonds of friendship".
The State Department spokesperson emphasized that the United States would take note of the Indian Prime Minister's public statements.
"I will look to Prime Minister Modi's public remarks to see what he talked about but as I said, we have made quite clear directly with India our concerns about their relationship with Russia. And so we would hope that India and any other country when they engage with Russia would make clear that Russia should respect the U.N. Charter, should respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Miller noted.
Modi's visit to Moscow
On July 8, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow for a visit. Earlier, it was reported that Modi would seek the swift release of Indians from the Russian army in talks with Vladimir Putin.
Also, while in Moscow, the Indian Prime Minister made a direct call to end the war in Ukraine.
