US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, while acknowleding the fact that the US and India have a clear difference in perspective on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, said that the American country is playing the 'long game' with India.
Speaking at the Center for a New American Security, Washington DC-based think tank, Sullivan said, "India's a sovereign democratic nation, they'll make their own decisions. We're not here to lecture them or to insist on a certain outcome or else."
"We're having a deeply respectful and strategic dialogue with India, starting with President (Biden) and PM (Modi) who've spoken frequently on phone and met a couple of weeks ago in Tokyo. And we're playing the long game here," he added.
The US diplomat further stated, "We're investing in a relationship that we're not going to judge by one issue... dealing with challenge posed by China has much more convergence today, and that's important to US foreign policy...we feel confident that dialogue with India right now will bear fruit over time."
Sullivan is POTUS Biden's top aide on national security. His remarks come amid the ongoing difference between the US and India over Ukraine. Both the countries have held Quad format and bilateral meeting. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also took part in 2+2 dialogue, where he met Sullivan.
The remarks by Sullivan comes in contrast to the earlier US' stance on India's take on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responding to Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh's statement on having consequences to circumvent the US sanctions on Russia, said 'countries should abide by the US sanctions'.
Sullivan, on Thursday in a different public message on the US approach, had said that his country was 'investing' in the relationship with India and that they are not going to judge it by one issue, even if the issue is 'consequential'.
