Amid the strain in ties over New Delhi’s import of Russian oil, and even as the United States has issued a notification to implement the penalty tariffs on India effective from Wednesday, the two countries discussed energy security and increasing defence cooperation under the India-US 2+2 Dialogue framework.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday evening, the two sides “looked forward to increasing defence cooperation, including signing a new 10-year ‘Framework for the India-US Major Defense Partnership’, as well as advancing defence industrial, science, and technology cooperation; operational coordination; regional cooperation; and information-sharing”.
The bilateral talks come amid weeks of tension between New Delhi and Washington over an announcement of an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods in response to purchase of Russian oil. US Vice-President J D Vance said President Trump has applied “aggressive economic leverage”, including secondary tariffs on India to force Russia to stop bombing Ukraine. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has reiterated the US tariff was “unjustified and unfair”, and that it was being wrongly “presented as an oil issue”.
Meanwhile, the India-US 2+2 Intersessional dialogue, held virtually Tuesday, had Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur, Additional Secretary (Americas), MEA, and Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) in the Ministry of Defence, co-chairing the session alongside US Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Bethany P Morrison, and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Jedidiah P Royal, as per the MEA statement.
According to a release by the US State Department on Tuesday, “Through this dialogue, officials advanced bilateral initiatives, discussed regional security developments, and exchanged perspectives on a number of shared strategic priorities.”
They also discussed trade and investment; energy security, including strengthening civil-nuclear cooperation; critical minerals exploration; counternarcotics and counterterrorism cooperation, it said, adding that “both sides looked forward to increasing defence cooperation, and build upon the progress made in these areas under the auspices of the US-India COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century and beyond”.
The chairs reaffirmed their commitment to promoting a safer, stronger, and more prosperous Indo-Pacific region through the Quad, the MEA said. India is scheduled to host the Quad Leaders Summit this year, which besides the US, also has Japan and Australia as members.
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The dialogue concluded with the chairs expressing their appreciation for the productive meeting and eagerness to continue enhancing the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship in a manner that benefits the people of India and the United States, the MEA said.
