New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia, US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti came down heavily on New Delhi on Thursday, saying that the India-US relationship was wider and deeper than it's ever been, but it was not deep enough to be taken "for granted".
Addressing a conclave on the India-U.S. defence and security partnership, Garcetti said, "It's important for us as Americans and as Indians to remember the more we put into this relationship, the more we will get out. The more we insist on a kind of cynical calculation in the place of a trusted relationship, the less we will get."
"As I also remind my Indian friends, while it is wider and it is deeper than it's ever been, it is not yet deep enough that if we take it for granted from the Indian side towards America, I'll fight a lot of defence battles trying to help this relationship ahead," added Garcetti.
"I respect that India likes its strategic autonomy, but in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy. We will, in crisis moments, need to know each other. I don't care what title we put to it, but we will need to know that we are trusted friends… that in times of need in the next day be acting together, that we’ll know each other’s equipment, that we know each other’s training, we’ll know each other’s systems, and we’ll know each other as human beings as well", he added.
He further said, "No war is distant anymore, and we must not just stand for peace. We must take concrete actions to make sure those who don’t play by peaceful rules that their war machines cannot continue unabated. That’s something the US needs to know and that India needs to know together."
"Our heads and hearts are aligned but the question is can the two countries move their feet together and build that continued deep trust and have outcomes that meet the security threats of this moment," he asked.
The US State Department has been expressing serious concern over the India-Russia ties. Earlier, Garcetti said his country was in constant contact with India about working together to hold Russia accountable.
Both Europe and the US were not happy to see PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin together. Both believe that Russian President Putin is responsible for the European turmoil caused by the invasion of Ukraine.
Officially Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit at the invitation of Russian President Putin.
