India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a virtual meeting with President Biden on Monday, said he believes the US will play an “integral role” in India’s development over the next 25 years, and hailed the world’s two largest democracies as “natural partners.” “.
Why it matters: The Biden administration has made strengthening US-India ties a cornerstone of its strategy to confront China in the Indo-Pacific, but has fallen out with the nationalist Modi administration on a number of key issues.
Driving the news: In his opening remarks before a closed-door meeting, Biden hailed India’s pledge to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and said the two sides would “continue our close consultations on how to manage the destabilizing effects of this Russian war.”
- Modi said he had spoken several times with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and suggested direct talks between the two leaders.
- Modi condemned the killings of civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha and called for an “independent investigation” without explicitly naming Russian forces as the perpetrators.
Behind the scenes: Asked repeatedly whether Biden had asked Modi behind closed doors to take a tougher line against Russia, a senior government official told reporters that discussions mainly focused on what India could do to deal with food supply shocks and other destabilizing ones mitigate the effects of war.
- “There was no specific question or answer, but leaders were able to step down and have a fairly detailed and frank exchange of views,” the official said.
- “I think India will make its own decisions, but we will continue the discussions,” they added.
- Between the lines: The official also hinted that Modi has “concerns” about China’s support for Russia as India and China are currently locked in a tense border dispute along the mountainous Line of Actual Control.
The big picture: The relatively brief Modi-Biden meeting kicked off a full day of talks between Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and their Indian counterparts, and marked the first time the US and India had met in this format since the start of the Biden presidency.
What you say: “Early on in your tenure, you used a very important slogan — ‘democracies can deliver,'” Modi said, addressing Biden directly. “The India-US partnership and the success of the India-US partnership are the best vehicles to give meaning to this slogan.”
Something to see: Biden said he looks forward to seeing Modi in person in Japan “around May 24,” likely indicative of an upcoming quad leaders’ summit scheduled for the spring.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional details about the Biden and Modi meeting.