'Biden believes India ties one of the most important in world': US on 2+2 talks

By Trend

US President Joe Biden considers ties with India "one of the most important in the world", the White House's press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing, Trend reports citing The Hindustan Times.

The remarks come ahead of the 2+2 ministerial talks next week where the focus will be the Indo-pacific region and the Ukraine war among other issues. "President Biden believes our partnership with India is one of the most important relationships we have in the world. He expects this dialogue will continue driving forward our work with India and shared goals in the Indo-Pacific region."

"We will also continue our discussions on the consequences of (Russian) President Putin's war on Ukraine and the crisis in terms of energy and food. It can cover a range of topics," she added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and foreign minister S Jaishankar will be in Washington for the 2+2 dialogue on Monday to meet their counterparts - defense Lloyd Austin and secretary of state Antony J Blinken.

The talks come at a time when the Ukraine war has completed about six weeks. "The dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and a vision for further consolidating the relationship," a foreign ministry statement said.

"The 2+2 dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern."

India's Russian oil import has been one issue that has been brought up over the last few weeks after the US and other nations slapped sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine offensive. "Each country is going to make its own decision," Psaki said earlier this week when asked about Russia, adding that "India's import of Russian energy represents only 1 to 2 percent of their total energy imports."