US doesn't think India is in "Russian camp": envoy

New Delhi: The United States does not think India is with Russia on the Ukraine issue, top American diplomat Patricia Lacina told NDTV on Friday. The head of the US mission to India, Lacina, said that the US understands that the Indian relationship with Russia is different from US's with Russia, NDTV reports.

However, she refused to elaborate about an Axios report, which claimed that US State Department had recalled a cable sent to American diplomats to inform their counterparts in India and the UAE that both the latters' neutrality on Ukraine shows they are with "in Russian camp". Lacina said that she also has the same Axios report and don't have personal knowledge on that claim. On India's non-committal stand on the conflict, she said that the US is speaking to Indian authorities at many different levels.

She added that the US is particularly concerned about the unjustified attack on Ukraine by Russia.

When asked whether the US, as an ally, is disappointed with India's stand, Lacina said that the Indian government has said that member states of the UN charter must abide by it. They should respect international law, territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. The US agree with that, she said. As an envoy, she won't say that the US is disappointed at India for not issuing an outright condemnation of Russia's invasion.

The US had asked many countries, including India, who have relationships with Russia, to leverage it constructively and resolve the conflict, she said.

When asked whether the US is expecting India to take a stand aligning with the US on the issue, she replied that the US is holding talks with Indian interlocutors. The Quad had held discussions the previous night, and a statement was issued, emphasising the importance of territorial integrity and sovereignty in the Indo-pacific. The US interpret that it is also meant for Europe and the whole world, Lacina said.