At virtual meet with PM Modi, US President lauds India's humanitarian support for Ukraine people

President Joe Biden meets virtually with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington. Pic/PTI

United States President Joe Biden on Monday held a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and welcomed India's humanitarian support for the people of Ukraine.

The meeting was held ahead of the 2+2 dialogue between the two countries.

Biden said the US and India share a strong and growing "major defence partnership".

"We take the same concerns about the global challenges we face for COVID-19, advancing health security and tracking the climate crisis and we share a strong and growing major defence partnership," Biden said.

The US President also referred to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and said people in Ukraine were suffering "a horrific assault".

"I want to welcome India's humanitarian support for the people of Ukraine, who are suffering a horrific assault, including a tragic shelling in a train station last week that killed dozens of innocent children and women and civilians attempting to flee the violence," Biden said.

"The United States and India are going to continue our close consultation on how to manage the destabilizing effects of this Russian war," he added.

He said at the root of the bilateral partnership is a deep connection between "our people, ties of the family of friendship and of shared values".

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold talks with their US counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin III during the fourth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

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