US: India-Russia ties 'distinct' from Washington's equation with Moscow

India's relationship with Russia is "distinct" from that the US shares with the latter and that is okay, the Biden administration has said, underlining that Washington has asked every country that has leverage with Moscow to use it to protect the rules-based international order.

Responding to a question on India-US relationship in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and whether the Ukrainian crisis has strained the bilateral relationship, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US shares important interests and values with India.

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"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.

"India has a relationship with Russia that we certainly don’t have. India and Russia have a relationship, including in the defense and security sector, that we don’t have. And again, we have asked every country that has a relationship, and certainly those countries that have leverage, to use that leverage in a constructive way," he said.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine on Thursday. Russia has launched multiple attacks on several areas in central and eastern Ukraine, drawing widespread condemnation and sanctions from several countries, including the US.

The US, Price said, has a broad strategic partnership with India.

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