US Expresses Concerns Over India-Russia Relations, Urges PM Modi To Raise Ukraine Issue In Meeting With Putin

The United States on Monday (8 July) called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to emphasise Ukraine's territorial integrity as he met with President Vladimir Putin in Russia.

"We would urge India, as we do any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN charter, that respects Ukraine's territorial integrity, Ukraine's sovereignty," the US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a daily press briefing.

PM Modi arrived in Moscow on Monday evening for his first visit to Russia since the country's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

During a dinner hosted by Putin at his countryside residence, the Russian President congratulated PM Modi on winning a historic third term in the Indian general elections and praised his dedication to the people of India.

When asked if the US had communicated its concerns about India's relationship with Russia prior to PM Modi's Moscow visit, Miller stated he was unaware of any specific conversations but reiterated that the US had made its concerns clear to India.

"I will look to Prime Minister Modi's public remarks to see what he talked about. But as I said, we made quite clear directly with India our concerns about their relationship with Russia. So we would hope India and any other country, when they engage with Russia, would make clear that Russia should respect the UN charter, should respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Miller said, India Today reported.

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