Modi, Biden will discuss war in Ukraine and food security at Quad meeting

Tokyo/New Delhi: US President Joe Biden will have a “constructive and straightforward” conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the “impact” of Russia’s “brutal invasion of Ukraine”, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, ahead of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo on May 24.

Responding to questions on India’s ban on wheat exports, Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One, the US President’s aircraft, “Food security will be a topic of conversation at the Quad.”

The discussion on Ukraine between Biden and Modi “won’t be a new conversation”, Sullivan said. “It will be a continuation of the conversation they’ve already had about how we see the picture in Ukraine and the impacts of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine on a wider set of concerns in the world, including this food security concern.”

The American NSA said the two leaders have already had the opportunity to engage on the issue of Ukraine, and Biden had an extended discussion with Modi at the virtual Quad Summit in March.

“And they also got to speak about it when they had a short video bilateral meeting at the top of the 2+2 when the Indian ministers came to Washington,” he said.

“So, they’ll talk all of that through. And I will leave the specifics of it to what has been a set of private and constructive exchanges, and I expect that this will similarly be constructive and straightforward,” Sullivan said.

Modi, who left for Tokyo on Sunday night, said in a pre-departure statement, “I will hold a bilateral meeting with President Joseph Biden, where we will discuss further consolidation of our multifaceted bilateral relations with the US. We will also continue our dialogue on regional developments and contemporary global issues.”

Asked about Washington’s balancing act between economic cooperation and accountability on human rights issues, Sullivan said: “President Biden has been clear from the beginning of this administration that we’ll speak out when we see any form of departure from or deviation from basic principles, fundamental freedoms, human rights, the values of democratic institutions, and the rule of law. That’s true for a range of countries. And, you know, we don’t single India out.”