Joe Biden hails PM Modi’s Ukraine trip, lauds India’s global role

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said “very important” conversations were under way with multiple people on all sides of the Ukraine crisis. He said “people see value in India’s engagement in these conversations”

U.S. President Joe Biden has conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the U.S. supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including permanent membership in the UN Security Council, said a joint factsheet on the wide-ranging talks the two leaders had on Saturday (September 21, 2024).

Mr. Biden hosted Mr. Modi at his private residence in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday (September 21, 2024) afternoon, hours after the Prime Minister arrived in the U.S. on a three-day visit.

Also read:PM Modi in U.S. LIVE updates - September 22, 2024

At a media briefing on Sunday (September 22, 2024), Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, while answering a question on defusing the Ukraine crisis, said “very important” conversations were under way with multiple people on all sides of the conflict.

Though the Modi-Biden talks focused on bilateral ties, the two leaders touched upon global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Indo-Pacific that has witnessed increasing Chinese muscle-flexing.

The factsheet said President Biden expressed his “immense appreciation” for India’s leading role on the world stage, particularly Mr. Modi’s leadership in the G-20 and in the Global South and his commitment to strengthen the Quad to ensure a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

“President Biden commended Prime Minister Modi for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, and for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine,,” it said.

Asked about the extent of discussion on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and whether the Indian side mentioned any kind of peace proposal, Mr. Misri said New Delhi was involved in a set of negotiations.

“It is, obviously, people see value in India’s engagement in these conversations and we are able to talk to multiple interlocutors, and this is not something that is going to have an outcome in the present stage because there is still quite a bit of work that remains to be done,” he said.

Mr. Modi and Mr. Biden reaffirmed their support for the freedom of navigation and the protection of commerce, including critical maritime routes in West Asia where India will assume co-lead in 2025 of the Combined Task Force 150 to work with Combined Maritime Forces to secure sea lanes in the Arabian Sea, the document said.

The leaders voiced their view that a closer U.S.-India partnership was vital to the success of efforts to build a cleaner, inclusive, more secure, and more prosperous future for the planet, it added. They deliberated on ways to further bolster India-U.S. cooperation in the areas of semiconductors, clean energy and defence.

“President Biden and Prime Minister Modi hailed a watershed arrangement to establish a new semiconductor fabrication plant focused on advanced sensing, communication, and power electronics for national security, next-generation telecommunications, and green energy applications,” the factsheet said.

They celebrated the new strategic partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the India Semiconductor Mission, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in connection with the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund.

The Prime Minister and the US President welcomed steps to build safe, secure, and resilient supply chains for the US, Indian, and international automotive markets, including through Ford Motor Company’s submission of a Letter of Intent to utilise its Chennai plant to manufacture for export to global markets.

India on Sunday (September 22, 2024) signed the 14-member Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) bloc’s agreements on a clean and fair economy. The agreements would help facilitate development, access, and deployment of clean energy and climate-friendly technologies, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

The agreement on clean economy intends to accelerate efforts of IPEF partners towards energy security, GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions mitigation, developing innovative ways of reducing dependence on fossil fuel energy, promoting technical cooperation, capacity building, besides collaborating to facilitate development, access, and deployment of clean energy and climate-friendly technologies.

It will facilitate investments, project financing including concessional financing, joint collaborative projects, workforce development and technical assistance for industries.

Published - September 22, 2024 09:17 pm IST