India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the G20 leaders’ summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. Dita Alangkara/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s stance on Russia in the Ukraine dispute has not come under much criticism in the United States.
Asked in an interview with the Wall Street Journal about critical comments in the US for not taking a more forceful stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Modi said: “I don’t think this guy perception is widespread in the United States”.
“I think India’s position is well known and well understood around the world. The world is fully convinced that India’s top priority is peace.
Modi left on Tuesday for a state visit to the United States seen as a turning point in bilateral relations, with deeper cooperation in defense and high-tech fields.
New Delhi has refused to condemn its old ally Russia for the war in Ukraine and has increased its trade with Moscow to record levels, mainly through imports of Russian oil.
President Joe Biden has rushed to bolster relations with India as part of his bid to win what he billed as a contest between free and autocratic societies, particularly China.
Modi called for changes in global institutions like the United Nations to adapt them to an “increasingly multipolar world order” and make them more representative of the world’s less wealthy countries, according to the report. India would like to be a permanent member of the Security Council, he said.
“You have to ask the world if they want India to be there,” he said.
Modi also said India’s ties with China could only progress if there was peace on the border between the two Asian giants.
India and China have fortified positions and deployed large numbers of troops and equipment in the western Himalayas over the past three years after a clash in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand combat.
“For normal bilateral relations with China, peace and tranquility in the border areas are essential,” Modi told the newspaper.
“We strongly believe in respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, observing the rule of law and resolving disputes and disputes peacefully. At the same time, India is fully prepared and determined to protect its sovereignty and dignity.
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