On Friday, December 27, Indian Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, shared that he had met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to the United States. In a post on X, Jaishankar mentioned that their meeting took place on Thursday evening, where they reviewed the progress of the bilateral relationship, along with regional and global issues. This meeting is expected to be the last official one between the two foreign ministers before the end of the Joe Biden administration.
Jaishankar expressed optimism about the future of India-US relations, saying, “Reviewed the advancement of India-US partnership over the last four years. Agreed that our cooperation has strengthened in many domains, just as our comfort levels have grown correspondingly. Confident that India-US relationship will serve our mutual interests as well as global good. (sic).”
Additionally, Jaishankar revealed that he met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday morning. He described their discussion as wide-ranging, covering the progress of the India-US strategic partnership and various regional and global developments. He posted on X, “Good to meet US NSA Jake Sullivan in Washington DC this morning. A wide-ranging discussion on the progress of India-US strategic partnership. Also exchanged views on current regional and global developments. (sic).”
Delighted to meet @SecBlinken yesterday evening in Washington D.C.
Reviewed the advancement of 🇮🇳 🇺🇸 partnership over the last four years. Agreed that our cooperation has strengthened in many domains, just as our comfort levels have grown correspondingly.
Confident that…
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 27, 2024
Despite concerns regarding the upcoming Trump administration’s unconventional figures and his favorable stance towards adversarial nations, such as Russia, there is cautious optimism for the future of the India-US relationship. US politician Mike Waltz, set to become NSA-designate, emphasized that both the Biden and Trump administrations would present a united front against adversaries, stating, “Jake Sullivan and I have had discussions. We have met. For our adversaries out there that think this is a time of opportunity, that they can play one administration off the other, they are wrong…We are hand in glove. We are one team with the United States in this transition.”
Good to meet US NSA @JakeSullivan46 in Washington D.C. this morning.
A wide ranging discussion on the progress of 🇮🇳 🇺🇸 strategic partnership. Also exchanged views on current regional and global developments. pic.twitter.com/RtvTNAlHq7
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 26, 2024
In addition to his meetings with Blinken and Sullivan, Jaishankar also held a session with senior Indian diplomats at the embassy in Washington DC.
