‘US supports India G-20 presidency’: Jaishankar, Blinken meet; discuss Ukraine

The United States supports India’s G-20 presidency, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted on Sunday as he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Cambodia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. Both the leaders tweeted about the meeting and shared the details of the discussions.

The war in Ukraine – set to complete nine months in a few days – was among the key issues that the two leaders discussed. “A good meeting with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Discussed Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, energy, G20 and bilateral relations,” Foreign Minister Jaishankar wrote in a tweet. He is accompanying Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, who is leading the India delegation for the 19th ASEAN-India Summit in Cambodia’s Phnom Penh.

“I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s G20 Presidency,” wrote Blinken on Twitter, along with photographs of the two leaders and hashtag – #USIndiaAt75.

India will preside over the G-20 Summit from December 1. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the logo, website and theme of India’s G-20 Presidency. “Notion of universal brotherhood is being reflected via the G-20 logo. The lotus in the logo of G-20 is a symbol of hope in these tough times,” the Prime Minister said in a virtual address.

“G20 Presidency is not merely a diplomatic meeting for India, it is a new responsibility and a measure of the world’s trust in India,” he further added.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar had also met UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday.