<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had a virtual meeting with the United States President Joe Biden and expressed concern over the situation in Ukraine, where Russia on February 24 last launched a special military operation.</p>.<p>The virtual meeting between the two leaders took place as India and the United States started making efforts to narrow differences between themselves over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.</p>.<p>Biden said that the US would continue to hold close consultation with India on how to manage the “destabilising effects” of Russia's aggression against Ukraine – tacitly hinting that his administration would keep on nudging the Modi Government to take a tougher stand against President Vladimir Putin's decision to launch the military operations in the East European nation.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/modi-says-killing-of-civilians-in-ukraine-worrying-suggests-direct-talks-between-putin-zelenskyy-1099816.html" target="_blank">Modi says killing of civilians in Ukraine worrying, suggests direct talks between Putin, Zelenskyy</a></strong></p>.<p>The virtual meeting between Modi and Biden will be followed by India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached Washington DC to join their US counterparts – Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin – for the 2+2 dialogue.</p>.<p>Modi particularly expressed concern over the killing of innocent civilians at Bucha in Ukraine and said that he had urged both Putin and his counterpart in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to hold direct talks to end the conflict. “Recently, the news of the killings of innocent civilians in the city of Bucha was very worrying. We immediately condemned it and have asked for an independent probe,” the Prime Minister said in his opening remarks during the virtual meeting with the US President. He, however, stuck to India's policy of avoiding direct criticism of Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.</p>.<p>He told the US President that India had to evacuate nearly 20,000 of its citizens – mostly students – from the war zones of Ukraine, although one of them had been killed. He also referred to India's humanitarian assistance to the war-torn East European nation.</p>.<p>"I want to welcome India's humanitarian support for the people in Ukraine who are suffering a horrific assault, including a tragic shelling in a train station last week that killed dozens of innocent children and women and civilians attempting to flee the violence,” Biden told Modi.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/ukraine-prepares-for-russian-assault-calls-for-more-support-1099626.html"><strong>Also read: Ukraine prepares for Russian assault, calls for more support</strong></a></p>.<p>Singh, Jaishankar, Blinken and Austin were with Biden at the White House as he held the video conference with Modi. Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was also present.</p>.<p>New Delhi’s refusal to toe the Biden Administration’s line on the Russia-Ukraine conflict added to the strains in India-US relations. India abstained from voting on several US-backed resolutions at the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A virtual summit of the Quad on March 3 last saw Modi resisting Biden’s bid to get the four-nation coalition to formally criticize Russia. The Prime Minister stressed that the coalition comprising India, Japan, Australia and the US should remain focused on dealing with the belligerence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.</p>.<p>The Biden Administration of late not-so-subtly conveyed to New Delhi its displeasure over India's discussion with Russia to explore ways to continue bilateral trade circumventing the sanctions the US and the other western nations imposed on President Vladimir Putin's nation after he ordered the launch of military operations in Ukraine on February 24 last.</p>.<p>Daleep Singh, the US President's Deputy National Security Advisor on International Economics, of late stated in New Delhi that the nations trying to circumvent the restrictions the US imposed on transactions with banks in Russia would face “consequences”. He also said that the US would not like to see rapid acceleration of India's imports from Russia, be it energy or any other commodities.</p>.<p>India already started to buy about 16 million barrels of crude oil from sanctions-hit Russia at a discounted price, notwithstanding criticism in the US and the UK.</p>.<p>New Delhi and Moscow are also discussing expanding the use of national currencies, the rupee and rouble, to circumvent the US sanctions on Russia and pay for imports from each other.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos</strong></p>
<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had a virtual meeting with the United States President Joe Biden and expressed concern over the situation in Ukraine, where Russia on February 24 last launched a special military operation.</p>.<p>The virtual meeting between the two leaders took place as India and the United States started making efforts to narrow differences between themselves over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.</p>.<p>Biden said that the US would continue to hold close consultation with India on how to manage the “destabilising effects” of Russia's aggression against Ukraine – tacitly hinting that his administration would keep on nudging the Modi Government to take a tougher stand against President Vladimir Putin's decision to launch the military operations in the East European nation.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/modi-says-killing-of-civilians-in-ukraine-worrying-suggests-direct-talks-between-putin-zelenskyy-1099816.html" target="_blank">Modi says killing of civilians in Ukraine worrying, suggests direct talks between Putin, Zelenskyy</a></strong></p>.<p>The virtual meeting between Modi and Biden will be followed by India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached Washington DC to join their US counterparts – Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin – for the 2+2 dialogue.</p>.<p>Modi particularly expressed concern over the killing of innocent civilians at Bucha in Ukraine and said that he had urged both Putin and his counterpart in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to hold direct talks to end the conflict. “Recently, the news of the killings of innocent civilians in the city of Bucha was very worrying. We immediately condemned it and have asked for an independent probe,” the Prime Minister said in his opening remarks during the virtual meeting with the US President. He, however, stuck to India's policy of avoiding direct criticism of Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.</p>.<p>He told the US President that India had to evacuate nearly 20,000 of its citizens – mostly students – from the war zones of Ukraine, although one of them had been killed. He also referred to India's humanitarian assistance to the war-torn East European nation.</p>.<p>"I want to welcome India's humanitarian support for the people in Ukraine who are suffering a horrific assault, including a tragic shelling in a train station last week that killed dozens of innocent children and women and civilians attempting to flee the violence,” Biden told Modi.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/ukraine-prepares-for-russian-assault-calls-for-more-support-1099626.html"><strong>Also read: Ukraine prepares for Russian assault, calls for more support</strong></a></p>.<p>Singh, Jaishankar, Blinken and Austin were with Biden at the White House as he held the video conference with Modi. Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was also present.</p>.<p>New Delhi’s refusal to toe the Biden Administration’s line on the Russia-Ukraine conflict added to the strains in India-US relations. India abstained from voting on several US-backed resolutions at the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A virtual summit of the Quad on March 3 last saw Modi resisting Biden’s bid to get the four-nation coalition to formally criticize Russia. The Prime Minister stressed that the coalition comprising India, Japan, Australia and the US should remain focused on dealing with the belligerence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.</p>.<p>The Biden Administration of late not-so-subtly conveyed to New Delhi its displeasure over India's discussion with Russia to explore ways to continue bilateral trade circumventing the sanctions the US and the other western nations imposed on President Vladimir Putin's nation after he ordered the launch of military operations in Ukraine on February 24 last.</p>.<p>Daleep Singh, the US President's Deputy National Security Advisor on International Economics, of late stated in New Delhi that the nations trying to circumvent the restrictions the US imposed on transactions with banks in Russia would face “consequences”. He also said that the US would not like to see rapid acceleration of India's imports from Russia, be it energy or any other commodities.</p>.<p>India already started to buy about 16 million barrels of crude oil from sanctions-hit Russia at a discounted price, notwithstanding criticism in the US and the UK.</p>.<p>New Delhi and Moscow are also discussing expanding the use of national currencies, the rupee and rouble, to circumvent the US sanctions on Russia and pay for imports from each other.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos</strong></p>
