As the war enters its fourth week, New Delhi has been receiving a stream of high-profile visitors from major capitals around the world.
The foreign minister of Greece Nikos Dendias arrived on Tuesday and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is scheduled to visit in early April. But in a surprising turn of events, even traditional rival China is making overtures to India at this time, seeking New Delhi's assent to a visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
suitor is Russia, India's trusted arms supplier for decades, which is now also becoming a supplier of discounted crude oil to New Delhi as Moscow recoils from sanctions enforced by western consumers of its natural gas.U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland met India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan ShringlaThere was a brief allusion to the Ukraine war but it was almost an afterthought, mentioned at the end of issues pertaining to South Asia, the Indo-Pacific and West Asia. If there was unhappiness over India's"somewhat shaky" position on Ukraine, to which President Joe Biden alluded hours later in Washington, there was no mention of it in statements issued after the official talks.Narendra ModiDiscussions on China were at the front and center of both summits. While Modi brought up the June 2020 border clash on the Himalayan border, Kishida made references to the territorial dispute with China over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, which China calls Diaoyu. Kishida announced a $42 billion investment in India and also invited Modi to the next Quad summit in Japan later this year. Again, there was no reference to India's stand on Ukraine except for calls to end the war. Morrison had expressed understanding of India's position on Ukraine, Shringla said, briefing reporters. "There was a great deal of comfort ... both sides saw that conflict in Europe should not be a reason for us to divert our attention from the Indo-Pacific region," he said. A visit by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to New Delhi is also on the cards. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will hold talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi later this month, in a visit to prepare ground for the yet unannounced visit by Johnson.China's proposal for its foreign minister's visit comes just short of two years of a
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