• Source:PTI
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US Ambassador Eric Garcetti on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir’s bonhomie during the former’s recent visit to Moscow. On PM Modi’s visit to Russia, Garcetti said that strategic autonomy cannot apply in times of conflict and India and the US must uphold principles when other countries go against the rules-based order or violate sovereign borders. 

"We will in crisis moments need to know each other. I don't care what title we put to it, but we will need to know that we are trusted friends, brothers and sisters, and colleagues in times of need," Garcetti said. 

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Garcetti’s remarks were focused on the India-US Defence partnership and came against the backdrop of the White House and the US State Department expressing concern about India’s relationship with Russia and hoping that New Delhi uses its long-standing ties with Moscow to urge President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Following PM Modi’s visit to Russia, the US Ambassador said that India should not take the US friendship for granted. 

"It's important for us as Americans and as Indians to remember the more we put into this relationship, the more we will get out. The more we insist on a kind of cynical calculation in the place of a trusted relationship, the less we will get... As I also remind my Indian friends, while it is wider and it is deeper than it's ever been, it is not yet deep enough... that if we take it for granted from the Indian side towards America... I'll fight a lot of defence battles trying to help this relationship ahead," Garcetti said.

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In an apparent reference to Putin’s aggression against Ukraine, Garcetti said “No war is distant anymore and we must not just stand for peace, we must take concrete actions to make sure those who don’t play by peaceful rules, that their war machines cannot continue unabated.”

According to Bloomberg, PM Modi’s meeting with Putin amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war has irked several senior officials of the Joe Biden-led US administration. 

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan cautioned India that a "bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet" and Russia would side with China over New Delhi in case of a conflict.

"Russia is becoming closer to China. In fact, it's becoming a junior partner to China. And in that way, they would side with China over India any day of the week. And, Prime Minister Modi, of course, has profound concerns about the potential for Chinese aggression against India. Which we have seen over recent years," Sullivan said, as quoted by Bloomberg.