'India is a sovereign nation, can make their own decision', says US on Vostok Military drill
He told reporters, " Certainly, we have appreciated our partnership with India in the region. They"re an important partner, as you know. And we"ll continue to work closely with them."
Total Views |
Washington, September 15: Dismissing questions about India's participation in the recent multinational military exercises hosted by Russia, the United States said that India is a sovereign nation and it can make its own decisions.
Pentagon Spokesman Brig Gen Patrick Ryder made these remarks while responding to a question on India participating in Vostok military exercises with Russia and China.
He told reporters, " Certainly, we have appreciated our partnership with India in the region. They're an important partner, as you know. And we'll continue to work closely with them."
"India's a sovereign nation, they can make their own decisions in terms of who they're going to conduct exercises with," Ryder told reporters.
It should be noted that Vostok Military exercises were held from September 1 to 7 at different locations in Russia's far east amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the Vostok 2022 exercise involved more than 50,000 troops and over 5,000 weapons units, including 140 aircraft and 60 warships. The drills engaged troops from China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria, and several ex-Soviet nations.
"We have a very close partnership and relationship - defense relationship with India. We obviously will continue to work with India and further develop that relationship, Ryder said.
.
.