India will not shy away from discussing the Ukraine issue in PM Narendra Modi’s bilateral engagements during his US visit if the US does indeed broach the topic in the meetings but the government will prioritize the impact of the conflict on the Global South in any such dialogue.
Ahead of the visit, official sources also said there’s “genuine and widespread’’ interest in both countries to ensure Modi’s first state visit, with its focus on removing defense and hi-tech trade barriers, a resounding success.

While the Biden administration has been a lot more understanding of India’s position on Russia’s war in Ukraine in recent times, Modi’s upcoming visit has also put the spotlight on India’s reluctance to call Moscow out for its aggression. Senior Congressmen, like Republican Senator and Senate India Caucus co-chair John Cornyn, were reported to have expressed disappointment earlier this week at India “taking a pass’’ on the war in Ukraine.

‘’It’s quite natural that when 2 delegations meet, such issues are discussed because of the likely impact on the rest of the world. For us, the priority will be talks on the consequences of the conflict on the Global South,’’ said the source, recalling Modi’s outlining on several occasions of India’s concerns over food, fuel, and fertilizer shortages that have impacted developing countries the most.

Global South has also turned into the leitmotif of India’s G20 presidency with the government working to ensure that differences over the Ukraine conflict don’t undermine the focus on development. With issues related to India’s presidency likely to be discussed in Modi’s meeting with President Biden, the source said India’s focus right now is on reaching a “complete consensus’’ on all issues including Ukraine in G20. Modi will address a joint sitting of the US Congress during his visit on June 22 and while many Congress members expect him to speak about the conflict, government sources here have refrained from hazarding a guess on the issues Modi will focus on.

While India doesn’t believe that focus on ramping up the defense partnership will affect its “deep-rooted and extensive’’ relations with Russia, the source acknowledged that Modi’s visit to the US will lead to a major boost to strategic technology and defense partnership with a long-term focus and a fair degree of transfer of technology. This will be most obvious in the proposed GE-HAL deal for the co-production of jet engines in India that is likely to be signed during the visit. The US is hoping the likely defense agreements, including one for the purchase of predator drones, will help reduce India’s reliance on Russia for its defense and security.