Sullivan, who was in India in June to meet his counterpart Ajit Doval to discuss the Critical and Emerging Technologies Initiative, was responding to a question during an interview on MSNBC about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow earlier in the week; closely watched by the U.S. government and media as, among other things, it coincided with the ongoing NATO summit here, which has been dominated by concerns about Russia and its growing ties with China, Iran and South Korea. North.
"We have made it clear to all countries in the world, including India, that betting on Russia as a reliable long-term partner is not a good bet," he said.
"And that's especially true, in our view, for India because Russia is getting closer to China. In fact, it's becoming China's junior partner. And in that way, they would side with China over the India any day of the week. And...Prime Minister Modi, of course, is deeply concerned about potential Chinese aggression against India, something we have seen in recent years."
Sullivan went on to essentially lay out what the Biden administration's overall approach has been to India's long-term relationship with Russia, which is part of a "long-term game."
"We will continue to make that argument. But countries like India have a historical relationship with Russia. So none of this is going to change dramatically overnight. This is playing the long game. It's about making investments in democratic partners and allies around the world, including countries like India, and we think that will pay off as we move forward."
India's long-term ties with Russia have been an issue the United States has sought to address, with a mix of privately expressed misgivings and public declarations of understanding.
State Department spokesman Mathew Miller said Tuesday that the United States had privately conveyed its concerns in private conversations, including one that took place within 24 hours of the Prime Minister's meeting with President Vladimir Putin. But he did not share details of this conversation.
At times, the U.S. response veers between frustration and anger. India's purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, for example, caused considerable consternation. Some U.S. lawmakers called for sanctions under the Countering U.S. Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which seeks to punish Russia by threatening countries that purchase Russian goods of significant value with secondary sanctions.
US officials have said that India's Russian weapons acquisitions are an impediment to interoperability between the Indian and US militaries and there are fears that US technology could end up in Russian hands.
"We are looking to develop a much deeper and stronger technological relationship between the United States and India," said US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who accompanied Sullivan on the June visit to India, when asked about arms transfers. at a press conference. upon his return.
"We have made it clear which areas are affected militarily and technologically by the continued relationship between India and Russia. I think we will take every step we can to mitigate some of those commitments, and we have expressed some concerns, but at the same time we are confident in India and we are looking to advance our partnership in technology even in the context of those long-standing ties.
On the broader issue of India's ties with Russia, he said: “I want to underline that both the United States and India are great powers. We have many areas of alignment, but not surprisingly there are areas where we may have had different perspectives, viewpoints, and historical ties. And I think in the context of our strategic partnership, I think what has been important is our ability to share views in areas where we occasionally have disagreements, do so respectfully, and try, where possible, to narrow down those areas where which there are differences".
"We have made it clear to all countries in the world, including India, that betting on Russia as a reliable long-term partner is not a good bet," he said.
"And that's especially true, in our view, for India because Russia is getting closer to China. In fact, it's becoming China's junior partner. And in that way, they would side with China over the India any day of the week. And...Prime Minister Modi, of course, is deeply concerned about potential Chinese aggression against India, something we have seen in recent years."
Sullivan went on to essentially lay out what the Biden administration's overall approach has been to India's long-term relationship with Russia, which is part of a "long-term game."
"We will continue to make that argument. But countries like India have a historical relationship with Russia. So none of this is going to change dramatically overnight. This is playing the long game. It's about making investments in democratic partners and allies around the world, including countries like India, and we think that will pay off as we move forward."
India's long-term ties with Russia have been an issue the United States has sought to address, with a mix of privately expressed misgivings and public declarations of understanding.
State Department spokesman Mathew Miller said Tuesday that the United States had privately conveyed its concerns in private conversations, including one that took place within 24 hours of the Prime Minister's meeting with President Vladimir Putin. But he did not share details of this conversation.
At times, the U.S. response veers between frustration and anger. India's purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, for example, caused considerable consternation. Some U.S. lawmakers called for sanctions under the Countering U.S. Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which seeks to punish Russia by threatening countries that purchase Russian goods of significant value with secondary sanctions.
US officials have said that India's Russian weapons acquisitions are an impediment to interoperability between the Indian and US militaries and there are fears that US technology could end up in Russian hands.
"We are looking to develop a much deeper and stronger technological relationship between the United States and India," said US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who accompanied Sullivan on the June visit to India, when asked about arms transfers. at a press conference. upon his return.
"We have made it clear which areas are affected militarily and technologically by the continued relationship between India and Russia. I think we will take every step we can to mitigate some of those commitments, and we have expressed some concerns, but at the same time we are confident in India and we are looking to advance our partnership in technology even in the context of those long-standing ties.
On the broader issue of India's ties with Russia, he said: “I want to underline that both the United States and India are great powers. We have many areas of alignment, but not surprisingly there are areas where we may have had different perspectives, viewpoints, and historical ties. And I think in the context of our strategic partnership, I think what has been important is our ability to share views in areas where we occasionally have disagreements, do so respectfully, and try, where possible, to narrow down those areas where which there are differences".
