NEW DELHI (Reuters) – U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Friday, India said, just days after the U.S. raised concerns with New Delhi about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sullivan and Doval “discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international concern” during their phone conversation, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The statement did not mention if they discussed Modi’s two-day visit to Russia earlier this week. In Moscow, Modi told Putin that death of innocent children was painful, a day after a lethal strike at a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
Though India has not condemned Russia for its war in Ukraine, Modi also told Putin that a resolution can only be found through talks, and not on the battlefield.
However, both Russian and Indian officials later rejected reports that there were any disagreements between their leaders during their meetings.
In their conversation Sullivan and Doval “agreed to work closely to further advance India-US relations, which are built on shared values and common strategic and security interests” and reiterated the need to work collectively to address global challenges to peace and security, the Indian statement said.
The U.S. State Department had said on Monday that it had shared its concerns with New Delhi about India’s relationship with Moscow.
Modi’s visit to Russia coincided with a NATO summit in Washington, which was dominated by Western concerns over Ukraine.
Russia has been one of India’s closest strategic partners, and its largest weapons supplier for decades. However, the U.S. has been trying to forge closer ties with New Delhi as a counterweight to an ascendant China in the region.
(Reporting by Krishn Kaushik; Editing by Frances Kerry)
