U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, held discussions with Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla during Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on Monday. The focus of the meeting was on preparations for the upcoming “2+2” Ministerial meetings expected to take place in Washington next month, leading up to an in-person Quad summit in Tokyo later this year. The discussions covered a range of regional issues, including South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region, West Asia, and the situation in Ukraine.
The Ministry of External Affairs released a statement highlighting the valuable opportunity the FOC provided to discuss contemporary regional issues. Both parties agreed to maintain regular dialogue and consultations on various regional matters. Victoria Nuland is currently on a visit to South Asia, having arrived in Delhi from Dhaka. On Tuesday, she is scheduled to meet with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar before traveling to Colombo.
The visit comes amid an influx of diplomatic engagements in New Delhi, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding summits with leaders from Japan and Australia. The MEA is also set to host Foreign Ministers and delegations from Austria, Lithuania, Greece, Oman, and the United Kingdom. The discussions are believed to include the situation in Ukraine, and there is anticipation of India shifting its position on Russia’s actions, although the government has thus far refrained from criticizing Russia or joining sanctions against the country.
Victoria Nuland, previously in her role as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, had been involved in discussions on U.S. involvement in Ukrainian politics, as revealed in leaked tapes in 2014. In her current role, she is part of the Biden administration’s strategy on sanctions against Russia, expressing concerns about Russian actions in Ukraine and advocating for a “strategic defeat of President Putin in this adventure.”
