Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here on Sunday. The meeting between the two countries' top diplomats took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit here in the Cambodian capital. Jaishankar is accompanying Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is leading the Indian delegation. ASEAN-India Memorial Summit and 17th East Asia Summit here.
Jaishankar and Blinken met days before a likely bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 15-16. ."Nice meeting with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken.
Talked about Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, energy, G20 and bilateral relations," Jaishankar said in a tweet, listing the issues he discussed with Blinken.
Jaishankar's meeting with Blinken came after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday and discussions with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba here on Saturday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told President Biden and "I would like to point out that Prime Minister Modi has been in the White House since President Biden took office, and the two have had the opportunity to meet in person several times and to speak by phone and video several times," he told reporters at the White House on Thursday
He said the two leaders see common interests on a number of critical issues and have genuinely worked together to strengthen the US-India partnership. "When you put all of that together, it's a very practical and productive relationship," Sullivan said. "President Biden looks forward to seeing Prime Minister Modi at the G20 this year as we look forward to next year," he said. India will chair the G20 next year and there is a possibility that a US presidency will visit the country. India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, arguing that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in February, Prime Minister Modi has spoken several times with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a phone call with Zelenskyy on Oct. 4, Modi said "there can be no military solution" and that India stands ready to contribute to any peace effort.
At a bilateral meeting with Putin in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 16, Modi told him that “the current era is not a time of war, and there is growing uneasiness on the part of various Western powers. Jaishankar met UN chief Antonio Guterres in Phnom Penh on Saturday at the conclusion of the ASEAN gala dinner.
Jaishankar also held talks with his Thai counterpart, Don Pramudwinai. “It's always nice to meet up with Thailand's DPM and FM Don Pramudwinai. We are discussing our common regional concerns and strengthening partnership with ASEAN," he tweeted. “Met fellow Canadian Trade Secretary @mary_ng and FM @melaniejoly at the ASEAN Gala Dinner. Anything for more trade and strategic convergence while fighting terrorism and fighting radicalization,” he said in another tweet.
On Saturday, Jaishankar discussed a variety of topics with his colleagues from Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.
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