India-Russia ties borne out of necessity because US couldn't do it earlier: Antony Blinken

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday acknowledged the growing strategic convergence between the US and India in recent years. Reasoning that New Delhi has maintained ties with Russia out of necessity as Washington was not in the position to do so earlier, Blinken said that US President utilised 'a lot of time engaging with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's leadership'. 

"In the case of India, there is a relationship that goes back decades. And Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner," Blinken told lawmakers.

"Now, we are investing in that effort. I think there is a growing strategic convergence between the United States and India," news agency PTI quoted Blinken as saying.

"And of course, China is a big part of that," Blinken said in response to a question from Senator William Hagerty during a Congressional hearing by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations.

The statement came to the fore after lawmaker Hagerty had sought the US Secretary of State's take on the India-US relationship.

"What I see before us is something I'm certain that is very frustrating in the short-term when we have our differences and you deal with that every day," Hagerty said.

US President Joe Biden spent "a lot of time directly engaging with PM Modi'

Hagerty said that the India-US strategic partnership poses an opportunity to do 'more good in the 21st century' while Blinken concurred with the Senator's perspective. 

"I think this partnership has the potential to be one of the most important and foundational partnerships that we have going forward over the next decades," Hagerty said.

Notably, Blinken said US President Joe Biden has spent "a lot of time directly engaging with Prime Minister Modi and India's leadership".

"We have energised the QUAD that brings India together with Australia and Japan and us. This has been a very important vehicle for strengthening our collaboration across a whole variety of fronts with India," he said.

"What's interesting is this is a moment of strategic inflection, by which I mean this. A number of countries are now relooking at some of their relationships and some of their interests, particularly when it comes to their relationship with Russia," added the top American diplomat.