WASHINGTON, April 12. /TASS/. The United States intends to significantly development military ties with India, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday, following bilateral talks between the heads of defense and foreign affairs departments of the two countries at a joint press conference in Washington.
"Today's meeting shows that we're working together to build one of the most consequential partnerships of our time. We've made important commitments today that will drive technological innovation and cooperation in emerging defense domains including space and cyberspace," he said.
At the same time, the US and India have agreed to work together to produce airborne unmanned aerial vehicles. "We recently concluded an agreement to work together on air launched unmanned aerial vehicles through our defense technology and trade initiative," Austin added.
The US calling on all countries not to purchase weapons from Russia, but a decision on possible sanctions against India for the purchase of Russian S-400 systems has not yet been made. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.