India and the United States have unequivocally condemned the civilian deaths in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities even as the two countries asked Pakistan to take immediate, sustained, and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under its control was used for terrorist attacks.

In a joint statement issued late last night at the end of the fourth ”2+2” ministerial dialogue between the two countries in Washington, they underscored n the context of the ongoing war in Europe that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, respect for international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.

Defence Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar led the Indian delegation while the American side was led by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken at the ministerial dialogue. It was preceded by a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joseph Biden.

The two sides took up the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as global developments during the dialogue. The two sides reviewed mutual efforts to respond to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications.

Recalling the Quad leaders’ summits, the ministers on the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states were respected, and countries were free from military, economic, and political coercion.

They further reaffirmed their dedication to promoting regional stability and prosperity, with an inclusive regional architecture, abiding by the rule of law, the freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, and ASEAN centrality. They also reiterated the importance of adherence to international law to meet challenges to the rules-based order, including in the South China Sea.

Welcoming the remarkable progress made under the Quad Vaccine Partnership to augment the manufacturing capacity of the Biological E facility in India, supported by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the two countries committed to expediting the delivery of the first batch of vaccines to countries of the Indo-Pacific and beyond and to diversify the basket of vaccines in the context of changes in the global demand and supply landscape.

The ministers reiterated their commitment to work together in close coordination at the UNSC and in international organizations. The US reaffirmed its continued support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed UNSC and for India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group.

The two sides called on the Taliban to abide by UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021), which demands that Afghan territory must never again be used to threaten or attack any country or shelter or train terrorists or plan or finance terrorist attacks. They urged the Taliban to adhere to these and all other commitments; respect the human rights of all Afghans, including women,

In the context of defence and security, the US welcomed India’s decision to join the Combined Maritime Forces Task Force as an Associate Partner to expand multilateral cooperation in the Indian Ocean.

Seeking trusted and resilient defence supply chains, the ministers welcomed the progress made toward the implementation of the Industrial Security Agreement to facilitate collaboration on cutting edge defence technologies between industries.

The two sides strongly condemned any use of terrorist proxies and cross-border terrorism in all its forms and called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, and Pathankot attack, to be brought to justice. They called for concerted action against all terrorist groups, including groups proscribed by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee, such as al-Qa’ida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizb ul Mujahideen.