Mike Pompeo arrives amid row over trade, Russia ties

NEW DELHI: India and the US will put a positive step forward as the two countries get ready to re-engage at the top level after the general elections in a background where a burgeoning trade dispute and American concerns about India's defence relations with Russia threaten a strategic relationship.


Foreign minister S Jaishankar and US secretary of state

Mike Pompeo

will meet on Wednesday for the first time to restore some energy in the relationship.

In Gandhinagar to file his nomination for Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar said, "We will be meeting with a positive attitude. The meeting with Mike Pompeo will be an important one. We will definitely discuss issues related to trade between the two countries."

As Pompeo arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, diplomatic sources said India's defence relationship with Russia "could not be wished away". The US has threatened to impose sanctions on India if it goes ahead with the planned buy of the S-400 Triumf missile defence system from Russia. "We have explained our rationale to the US for buying the S-400. The CAATSA legislation also lays out conditions for a waiver. We believe we meet those requirements," a source said.

Pompeo will meet PM Modi on Wednesday, following which he will hold talks and have a working lunch with Jaishankar, and have a separate meeting with NSA Ajit Doval. Pompeo is expected to have a round-table meeting with US and Indian businessmen, and make a policy speech in the evening, before flying to Osaka on Thursday morning. Modi and Trump are scheduled to meet on the margins of the G20 on Friday.

The effort on both sides will be to showcase the strengths of the relationship, which tend to get overshadowed by the negatives. A state department official, briefing the media before Pompeo's visit, said, "India is a crucial partner in the Trump administration's vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region."