India-US Relations 'Not Deep Enough' To Be Taken For Granted: American Envoy Eric Garcetti After PM Modi's Russia Visit

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti on Thursday said that the relationship between India and the United States has grown significantly but is not yet strong enough to be taken "for granted".

This statement is being seen as a direct message to India following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia, which is under heavy sanctions from the West due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Addressing a defence conclave in Delhi, the US envoy added that India likes its strategic autonomy, but there is no such thing as "strategic autonomy" during a conflict.

Highlighting the interconnectedness of today's world, Garcetti stated that "no war is distant any more" and emphasized the need for proactive measures to prevent those who breach peaceful norms from continuing their aggression.

"...It's important for us as Americans and as Indians to remember the more we put into this relationship, the more we will get out. The more we insist on a kind of cynical calculation in the place of a trusted relationship, the less we will get... As I also remind my Indian friends, while it is wider, and it is deeper than it's ever been, it is not yet deep enough that if we take it for granted from the Indian side towards America, I'll fight a lot of defence battles trying to help this relationship ahead...," he said, India Today reported.

"I know that India ... and I respect that India likes its strategic autonomy. But in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy. We will, in crisis moments, need to know each other. I don't care what title we put to it, but we will need to know that we are trusted friends, brothers and sisters, colleagues that, in times of need, in the next day, be acting together," Garcetti said.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that US officials were not happy with the timing of PM Modi's visit to Russia, which coincided with the NATO Summit held from 9 July to 11 July.

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