By C Raja Mohan – Foreign Affairs – 6 April 2022
When Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh hold a so-called two-plus-two dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington on Monday, managing the discord between their countries over Russia’s war in Ukraine will be a priority. India, a major customer of Russian weapons, has so far refused to condemn the brutal invasion at the United Nations or join the West in sanctioning Russia. The Biden administration and the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, are determined not to let their differences over Russia come in the way of strengthening the Indian-U.S. partnership in the Indo-Pacific.
In the next few days, India and the United States are likely to announce a number of new initiatives, including on defense cooperation, outer space, and maritime intelligence sharing. The four officials can also pat themselves on the back for the little-noticed but growing strategic coordination to limit Chinese advances in South Asia.