US: Wendy Sherman, the US Deputy Secretary of State, spoke with India's Foreign Secretary Harsh V. Shringla on Russia's military build-up along Ukraine's borders, along with regional iisues and the Covid epidemic challenges. It's the second time in a week that the US has spoken with India over Russia's position near Ukraine's borders.

"The US Deputy Secretary and India's Foreign Secretary agreed to stay closely coordinated on shared goals and priorities and reiterated the importance of a strong US-India partnership to mitigate the Covid-19 Omicron variant's rapid advance," said US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Wednesday.

On January 14, US Charge' d' Affaires Patricia Lacina paid Shringla a visit and reviewed the India-US relationship as well as regional issues of mutual concern.

Surprisingly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, at the time of the India-US talks, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm the US' "unwavering" support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of ongoing Russian military buildup.

Following the meeting, Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an effort to persuade Russia to pursue diplomacy and engagement.

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