Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told Russian President Vladimir Putin that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bullets even as he flagged concerns over a missile strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, DC on Thursday, amid the diplomatic rumpus between India and Canada stirred over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.
The city is in garba and dandiya practice mode.
The United States has said there ought to be a full and fair investigation into Canada's allegations that the Indian government was involved in the killing of a separatist Sikh leader in British Columbia earlier this year.
The United States on Friday expressed concern over the departure of Canadian diplomats from India and said that it expects New Delhi to uphold its obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
"I'm not familiar with the documentary you're referring to, however, I am very familiar with the shared values that enact the United States and India as two thriving and vibrant democracies," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday, responding to a media query on a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has sparked controversy since its release.
India in the past has trashed such allegations as based on "misinformation and flawed understanding".
The issue was raised by Secretary of State Tony Blinken during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington, DC last week.
The US on Tuesday said it was "deeply concerned" about the allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on India's involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Surrey, and urged New Delhi to "cooperate" with Ottawa in the investigation of the incident.
"We have seen reports about this outlet's ties to the People's Republic of China, but we can't comment yet on the veracity of those claims," State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a news conference in Washington, DC on Tuesday.
Biden also called for Israel to respect humanitarian law and minimise the loss of civilian life, saying he counselled Israeli officials during his trip to Tel Aviv "against letting their hurt and rage mislead them into making mistakes we ourselves have made in the past."
The elections in the country should be held within the stipulated time of 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly.
"India is a global strategic partner of ours. We have a wide, broad, deep relationship with India. There will be a lot on the agenda in the bilateral relationship and in the multilateral engagements he takes part in on the margins of the G20," Ned Price, State Department Spokesperson, told reporters at his daily news conference.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated his country's stance against an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during his meetings with key Middle Eastern leaders on Saturday, CNN reported.
The United States supports a constructive dialogue and meaningful conversation between India and Pakistan, the Biden administration said Thursday reiterating that it's for New Delhi and Islamabad to decide on the nature of that dialogue.
Notably, Pakistani journalist Ali, cited the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and said he "regretted" that no US official had criticized it, while the US State Department highlighted the close relationship between the two countries, especially over shared values.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that the Canadian allegations with regard to the death of a Khalistani separatist was discussed during his meeting with the Secretary of State Tony Blinken a day earlier and noted that the two delegations came out better informed after the meeting.
The US on Wednesday favoured a thorough investigation into killing of a Khalistani separatist in Canada in June, two days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indian government agents in the case kicked up a major diplomatic row between New Delhi and Ottawa.
The US hails the landmark 'India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor' which will usher in a new era of connectivity from Europe to Asia and will stimulate economic growth across the two continents.
Pakistan has formally lodged a protest with the US over its joint statement with India against the country's involvement in cross-border terrorism.
A video by Khalistan supporters, dated July 2 posted on Twitter, showed the act of arson at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
More than 200 protesters waving Khalistan flags descended upon the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Wednesday for a planned demonstration amid a heightened security presence of the San Francisco Police Department (SFDP).
'We support the importance of free press around the world. We continue to highlight the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief as human rights that contribute to strengthening democracies around the world. It has strengthened this democracy here in this country. It has strengthened India's democracy'
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to India next week to attend the meeting of G20 foreign ministers and meet senior Indian officials to reaffirm America's strong partnership with the country.
India and the US agreed to continue their cooperation in the areas of defence, space and clean energy as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Secretary of State Antony Blinken here, amid a simmering diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.
The US is planning to resume the process of domestic visa revalidation in certain categories, like H-1B and L1 visas, on a pilot basis later this year, a move that will benefit tens of thousands of foreign tech workers, particularly from India. Until 2004, certain categories of non-immigrant visas, particularly the H-1B, could be renewed or stamped inside the US. After that, for the renewal of these visas, in particular, those on H-1B, the foreign tech workers have to go out of the country, mostly to their own country to get the H-1B extension stamped on their passport.
"We would take PM Modi at his words and welcome those comments when they took place. Other countries will make their own decision on engagement with Russia. We continue to coordinate with allies to mitigate impacts of war," said State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel during a press conference on Thursday.
'We support the importance of a free press around the world. We continue to highlight the importance of democratic principles, such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief'
It also noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to Pakistani provocations.
Price said India's relationship with Russia developed over several decades.
Canada has expelled an Indian diplomat as it was investigating what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called 'credible allegations' of the involvement of 'agents of the Indian government' in the killing of a Sikh extremist leader in Surrey in June, claims outrightly rejected by New Delhi as 'absurd' and 'motivated'.
India as the G20 host has a 'unique role' to play in bringing about an end to the war in Ukraine due to its 'longstanding historical' ties to Russia, the United States has said, expressing hope to work closely with New Delhi to find a way to stop the conflict.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned China that its 'material support' for Russia's war against Ukraine would attract sanctions and condemned the 'unacceptable violation' of American sovereignty by a Chinese spy balloon as he met Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi.
'I think we just got to make the protocol we set out: that if you're flying from China, you got to be tested, and so on'
'Today, our hearts are with India. Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones during the bridge collapse and join the people of Gujarat in mourning the loss of too many lives cut short,' Biden said.
"We share important interests with India. We share important values with India. And we know India has a relationship with Russia that is distinct from the relationship that we have with Russia. Of course, that is okay," Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Friday.
'We know that our Indian partners are committed to that rules-based international order. There are any number of tenets in that order. One of them is that borders cannot be redrawn by force'
We encourage India to promote respect for human rights, the Biden Administration said.
Russia has already begun delivery of the first S-400 systems, and the question of sanctions, or of a waiver to sanctions, preoccupies New Delhi.
The United States enjoys a 'close and cordial' relationship with India, a senior official in the Joe Biden administration has said here on Monday, even as he voiced his country's 'concerns' to New Delhi about Russia.
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