United States President Joe Biden will have a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today ahead of a 2+2 bilateral engagement between the top foreign policy and defense officials of the two countries. This announcement was made by both countries, i.e., Washington and New Delhi, on Sunday.
While finalizing the agenda for the 2+2, the US solicited the meeting to discuss various issues, not just Ukraine. The US said that Biden would talk about the consequences of Russia’s war with Modi, whereas Modi avoided talking about the Ukraine issue in his official announcement.
The White House on Sunday said that the US President’s meeting with the Prime Minister on Monday aims to further deepen the bond between both the governments, economies, and peoples of our countries. The meeting will lead to the discussion of various issues, including the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing climate crisis, reviving the global economy, and compliance with a free, open, and rules-based international order to sustain security, democracy, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
Before the 2+2 ministerial between State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the two ministers will meet virtually.
According to the MEA, the meeting will allow both sides to continue their regular and high-level engagement aimed at strengthening the bilateral comprehensive global strategic partnership. Biden described India’s position on Ukraine as “shaky” and said he expected to push India into reviewing its actions.
According to the White House, both sides will discuss familiar issues, and President Biden will “continue our close consultations on the consequences of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine and mitigate its destabilizing impact on global food supply and commodity markets.
“Despite implicitly criticizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the outset, India abstained from 10 UN votes on the issue. At the same time, the country disapproved of Nato’s expansion eastward. Last time, Biden and other Quad leaders met to discuss Russia-Ukraine. The US President described India’s stand on the issue as “somewhat shaky.”
Published By: Aman Gupta
Edited By: Vanshika Sahu
