Ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to India for the G20 Summit, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that the US has encouraged all nations to purchase oil in accordance with the price cap, but does not believe that this is a time for business with Vladimir Putin and Russia.
On being asked if Biden will discuss about India being an avid buyer of Russian energy products, during his G20 trip, John Kirby said, "Every nation has to make their own sovereign decisions. We have been nothing but clear and consistent with all of our allies and partners about where we come in on economic opportunities and trade with Russia." He added, "But every sovereign nation has to make these decisions for themselves".
Speaking to reporters during a press briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center, Kirby talked about Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping being absent from this week's G20 Summit in India. He said that he didn't know about the possibility of any planning between the two leaders pertaining to their absence from the leaders' summit."And my message to Russia is: Leave Ukraine. Stop the war," Kirby said.
At the briefing, the NSC coordinator also talked about the possibility of discussions between Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
Kirby stated that he has little doubt that they will also discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the deleterious effect that that war is having on low- and middle-income countries, which again comes right back to the economic cooperation issue. In general, both leaders will discuss security, economic, and diplomatic challenges throughout the Indo-Pacific, which will certainly be something that they discuss, Kirby added.
US President Biden All Set To Travel To India For G20 Summit: White House
US President Joe Biden is all set to visit India and is "very excited" about the important initiatives he will be championing at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, according to senior White House officials.
Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit.
First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative. The White House said the president has tested negative twice and there is no change in his travel plans for India.