TOKYO, May 24 ― Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden reached “substantive outcomes” today in talks to strengthen their trade, technology and defence ties.

The leaders are in Tokyo for a meeting of the Quad group of countries ― the United States, India, Japan and Australia. Of the four, only India has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite pressure from the United States for it to do so.

“Discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, technology, defence, P2P ties between the two countries,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, said on Twitter, referring to people-to-people ties.

“Concluded with substantive outcomes adding depth and momentum to the bilateral partnership.” Biden said he had discussed the effects of the Ukraine war with Modi. The Indian leader has not publicly referred to the war on his Tokyo visit, which began yesterday.

Russia has been India's biggest arms supplier for decades and India is wary of seeing Russia pushed even closer to China, with which India has serious border disagreements.

The United States has offered to sell more defence equipment and oil to India to pry it away from Russia. India has also joined a US-led trade partnership, that Biden launched this week, called the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. 

 - Reuters