The United States on Tuesday expressed its willingness to engage with India in resolving the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Addressing a press conference, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said they would “welcome India’s constructive engagement” in resolving the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war that has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians.
“I would say that we would welcome India’s constructive engagement in these two matters as we welcome constructive engagement from countries around the world,” Miller said.
Miller also added that the Biden administration has focused a “great deal of time and attention” on the ties with India. “The secretary (Blinken) has a close productive working relationship with his, counterpart (Jaishankar). We have welcomed him here in the past couple of months. And of course, the secretary has travelled to India twice since September. President Biden has travelled to India this year,” he said.
India and the US have built a strong partnership over the years with PM Modi and Joe Biden holding several bilateral meetings in both the countries where they stressed the need for further expanding ties for a comprehensive strategic partnership. In September, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar went on a nine-day visit to the US during which he held meetings with top US officials – Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas war
The Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022 and has entered its 664th day with both sides continuously stepping up their offensive against each other. The war, which initially began in 2014, escalated last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. It is estimated to have caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties and the displacement of millions of Ukrainians.
Meanwhile, the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 after Hamas’ attack in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed. Since then, Israel has been continuously attacking Gaza with the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing that they will continue its war till victory is achieved despite “international pressure”. The conflict has claimed several thousands of lives on both sides, with scores injured and displaced.