Washington DC [US]: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC.
Jaishankar said that they followed up on the Delaware bilateral and Quad meetings.
In a post on X, he said, “Delighted to hold talks with Antony Blinken today in Washington DC. We followed up on the Delaware bilateral and Quad meetings. Our discussions also covered deepening bilateral cooperation, situation in West Asia, recent developments in the Indian subcontinent, the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine.”
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken and Jaishankar discussed the United States and India’s enduring commitment to deepening bilateral ties, coordinating closely on regional and global challenges, and advancing cooperation on critical and emerging technologies.
Blinken noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s August visit to Kyiv and reiterated the importance of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The Secretary and External Affairs Minister also discussed plans to expand collaboration on clean energy initiatives to address the global climate crisis, the statement added.
In the meeting, he condemned the Iranian attack on Israel, calling it “totally unacceptable.”
Blinken stated that Iran had launched a direct attack on Israel, including 200 ballistic missiles.
“Before I speak to this meeting, let me say this: a few hours ago, Iran, for the second time in five months, launched a direct attack on Israel, involving some 200 ballistic missiles.
This is totally unacceptable, and the entire world should condemn it,” he said.
Blinken reaffirmed US support for Israel, stating that they would continue close communication with Israel moving forward.
“Initial reports suggest that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, successfully repelled the attack. We have once again demonstrated our commitment to Israel’s defence. We will remain in close contact with Israel and other regional partners in the coming hours and days,” he said.