Noting that New Delhi's relationship with Moscow developed over several decades when Washington was not ready for that, US States Department on Thursday (local time) said, the United States is "there for" India.
"We have had a number of discussions with our Indian partners, and the point that we have made is that every country is going to have a different relationship with Moscow," the State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a press conference.
"India's relationship with Russia was built up over the course of many decades. As countries reorient their relationship with Moscow, as we have seen many of them do, this will be a gradual process," he said.
"But throughout it all, we have made clear to our Indian partners that we are there for them, we are ready and able and willing to partner with them, and we've done just that," he added further.
"Of course, we had a '2+2' dialogue with our Indian partners not too long ago. We will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again in the context of the I2U2, the arrangement we have with the UAE and Israel, along with India, incorporating India into many of the partnerships we have, including course the Quad," he said.
India's strategically independent foreign policy on the Russian-Ukrainian war that started earlier this year has put New Delhi in the international spotlight. As many hoped that India would have aligned itself with Ukraine and against Russia, given New Delhi's growing involvement with Washington in the Quad grouping.
The US has often publicly acknowledged that it understands India's historic ties with Russia and how it would be difficult for India to quickly cut its ties with Russia.
( With inputs from ANI )
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