Washington:

The United States wants India to use its “special partnership” with Russia to put “pressure” on Moscow to stop the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and work for a durable peace in the region, US State Department Hindustani spokesperson, Margaret MacLeod said.

The US official also reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s famous quote “This is not an era of war” which the PM had told Russian President Vladimir Putin during the SCO Summit in Bali in 2022.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, MacLeod said, “The US is urging all its partners, including India to pressurise Russia for lasting peace in Ukraine. Russia should get out of Ukraine, This is not the era of war, as Prime Minister (PM Modi) has said. “

“India and Russia share a very special partnership. We wish India use this special partnership to pressurise Russia (against the war)…Russia’s war in Ukraine is a violation of the UN Charter,” she added.

Being asked about how the US and the West view India’s stand on the Ukraine conflict, the US official said, “It would be better if you ask the Indian government about India’s stand.”

“But from America’s perspective, Russia is violating the sovereignty of Ukraine. It is attacking the civilian infrastructure. Just yesterday, we saw the attack on children’s hospital, where there were no Ukrainian soldiers…this is against the UN Charter and international law,” she added.

Over 40 children were killed in missile strikes at a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital on Monday. Kyiv has blamed Moscow for the attack.

Regarding the ongoing NATO Summit in Washington DC, MacLeod said the alliance aims to discuss the vision for the next 75 years in this meeting. She also said that announcements of relief packages for Ukraine will be made during the summit.

“At this NATO Summit, we are celebrating 75 years of peace, unity, development and innovation, and will discuss on the preparations for the next 75 years,” the US official said.

“Most NATO members are in Europe, right where the Russia-Ukraine war is ongoing, because of which it is a very serious issue for them (European NATO members)…A big relief package for Ukraine will be announced. We will also get an announcement by Germany for setting up a coordination cell,” she added.

The NATO Summit is being held from July 9-11 in Washington DC.

The summit has come at a crucial time when the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which started in February 2022, has intensified and also when some cracks have emerged in NATO amid scepticism among some European partners and comments by former US President Donald Trump against the alliance.

This is also the first NATO Summit after the inclusion of two new member states — Finland and Sweden.

Speaking on the USD 60 dollar price cap put on the purchase of Russian crude oil, the US official said that the price cap has helped in “reducing” Russia’s earnings and it wants to further lessen the resources at Moscow’s disposal.

“We want to want as less resources as possible to reach Russia because it is using the same earnings to attack Ukraine. The price cap has impacted Russia’s earnings, but as long as it (Russia) is able to earn, it will continue to attack Ukraine…so we want to reduce its gains as much as possible,” MacLeod further said.

Notably, despite pressure from Western countries, India has continued to purchase crude oil from Russia under the price cap, which several government ministers and officials have said, has helped in keeping domestic prices of petrol and diesel stable.

Further, speaking on India-US ties, the US official said that the ties between the two countries is very strong, and added that Washington wants to strengthen its ties with New Delhi further.

“We see there are deep relations between India and the US, we are engaging on so many issues…sometimes we have differences in perspectives, but we have a free, frank and open dialogue with each other. We are very positive about our relationship…our government wants to strengthen our bilateral relationship further,” she said.

Being asked where the India-US relations are headed as it is an election year in the US, MacLeod said she can’t comment on her country’s domestic politics but affirmed that “historically, both parties (Republican and Democrat) have worked to strengthen relations with India.”

Prime Minister Modi went on a state visit to the US in June last year. Following this, President Joe Biden came to India for the G20 Summit last year.

The Quad Summit between the two nations is also expected to be held later this year in India.

Washington:

India’s relationship with Russia gives it an ability to urge President Vladimir Putin to end its war with Ukraine, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.

Jean-Pierre made the remarks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin that the death of innocent children was painful and terrifying, a day after a lethal strike on a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

US President Joe Biden is committed to serving a full second term if reelected in November, the White House said Tuesday, as the 81-year-old fights for political survival as concerns mount over his age and fitness.

“Yes,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked during a daily briefing if the Democrat pledged to serve another four years should he beat Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

The spokeswoman said she believed Democrats were now “absolutely” united behind Biden, as the party’s lawmakers held critical talks on whether he should step aside as candidate in November.

“We do want to turn the page… We want to get to the other side of this,” Jean-Pierre said when asked if Biden now believed the crisis was behind him.

“He wants to move forward, unite the party,” she said. “The president’s going to move forward.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

 India is a strategic partner with whom it engages in a full and frank dialogue, the United States said on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

“India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in a full and frank dialogue. And that includes our concerns about their relationship with Russia,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

He was responding to questions on PM Modi’s Moscow visit for bilateral talks with Putin.

“We did just see Modi, like (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban, meet with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy. We thought that was an important step to take. And we would urge India, as we do any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN charter, that respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Miller said.

“I will look to Prime Minister Modi’s public remarks to see what he talked about. But as I said, we made quite clear directly with India our concerns about their relationship with Russia. So we would hope India and any other country, when they engage with Russia, would make clear that Russia should respect the UN charter, should respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said in response to a question.

Putin on Monday night welcomed PM Modi at his official residence at Novo-Ogaryovo for a “private engagement” during which he praised the visiting Indian leader for the work he has done for the country’s progress.

This is PM Modi’s first trip to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

 US President Joe Biden has vowed he will be “running this race to end “of the November election, despite private calls from Democrats to drop out.

Biden stood firm and told congressional Democrats in a letter on Monday that he would continue his election bid despite mounting concerns about his mental fitness.

Biden said that he wouldn’t be running again, “if I did not absolutely believe that I could beat Donald Trump.”

“I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” he added.

Further, he also stated, “We have 42 days to the Democratic convention and 119 days to the general election,” Biden said in the letter distributed by his reelection campaign

In the letter, Biden calls for unity among his party, emphasising the need for a collective effort to defeat former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.

“Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump,” said Biden.
The letter comes after a group call with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in which four congressmen were explicit in urging Biden to step aside some deep-pocketed donors have also reportedly expressed discomfort, with Hollywood’s Rob Reiner, who regularly donates to Democratic candidates, saying he thinks Biden should step aside “we lose our democracy if Trump wins.”

At the same time, some of the president’s biggest supporters are re-doubling the fight for Biden’s presidency, insisting there is no better way to beat Trump in what many see as among the most important elections of a lifetime.

On Sunday, a leadership call was organised by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, where several top House Democrats are urging President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 campaign, expressing deep concerns about his potential impact on the Democratic Party’s chances in the upcoming elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

U.S. President Joe Biden is not being treated for Parkinson’s disease, the White House said on Monday, after reports surfaced that a doctor specializing in the malady had visited the White House eight times over the past year.

Concerns that the president might be suffering from an undisclosed illness have risen since Biden’s stumbled in his June 27 debate with Republican Donald Trump.

The New York Times said White House visitor logs show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders and recently published a paper on Parkinson’s, visited the White House eight times from last summer through the spring of this year.

During an acrimonious briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to confirm Cannard’s visit, saying she wanted to respect the privacy of all involved for security reasons.

She said Biden had seen a neurologist three times connected to Biden’s annual physical exams.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

The United States called Monday on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to emphasize Ukraine’s territorial integrity as he met in Russia with President Vladimir Putin on the eve of a NATO summit in Washington.

“We would urge India, as we do any country which engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN Charter with respect to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Ukraine’s sovereignty,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in a full and frank dialogue, and that includes on our concerns about the relationship with Russia,” he said.

Miller said, however, that he was unaware of specific conversations with India about PM Modi’s visit to Russia.

The United States has built strong relations with India, seeing it as a powerful partner in the face of the rise of China, with President Joe Biden inviting PM Modi for a state visit a year ago.

India has a longstanding relationship with Moscow dating to the Cold War and has refused to join Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, instead turning to Russia for discounted energy imports.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

Democrats shocked by Joe Biden’s dismal debate performance urged the US president Tuesday to be transparent about his mental fitness as he faced the first call from his own side to drop out of the election.

Some supporters have expressed growing doubts about the 81-year-old after last week’s televised showdown with Donald Trump when Biden stumbled over his words and lost his train of thought — exacerbating fears about his age.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic lawmaker to publicly call on Biden to make way for another candidate, saying he was hopeful the president would “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.”

Nancy Pelosi, a former House speaker and a grandee of the Democratic Party, said in her own statement it was “legitimate” to ask whether Biden’s debate disaster was indicative of a deeper problem rather than a one-off.

Biden has not given a live interview or held a press conference since the debacle, meaning he has not had to give unscripted comments under pressure again.

ABC News announced that he would be interviewed by the network on Friday, with the first clips released that day.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday admitted the debate was “a bad night” for the president but added that Biden “knows how to come back” from adversity.

“We understand. We’re not taking away from what you all saw,” she told reporters. “I think the president’s work record certainly speaks for itself.”

She dismissed questions about Biden needing a cognitive test, and said the president would speak to high-ranking Democrats, before holding a press conference during a NATO summit in Washington next week.

– ‘Horrified’ –

The polling margins between the president and his Republican predecessor have been razor-thin and almost static for months, with Trump showing a slight advantage in the all-important swing states.

Biden pushed for an unusually early first debate in hopes that he could jolt the race while there was still time to build on any momentum gained — but the plan backfired.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse told WPRI-TV he was “pretty horrified” by the president’s performance during the 90-minute CNN match-up, watched by more than 50 million Americans.

Jared Golden, a vulnerable Democrat in conservative-leaning House district, raised eyebrows with an op-ed in his local paper in Maine in which he said Biden’s poor showing “was not a surprise.”

“It also didn’t rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that,” he said, explaining he believed US democracy would endure.

The White House has always shrugged off concern about Biden’s mental acuity, sometimes with marked irritation.

His campaign — under pressure over its tactics — hit out at “self-important podcasters” in a memo widely seen as a swipe at a group of former Barack Obama staffers and slammed demands from “the bedwetting brigade” for Biden drop out.

But Vermont Senator Peter Welch, a Democrat, told news website Semafor on Tuesday that Biden’s team had “a dismissive attitude towards people who are raising questions for discussion.”

– Slowed down –

Biden has visibly slowed over the last year.

It has been several months since the president, who has fallen in public on several occasions, stopped using his plane’s high gangway, preferring a shorter, more stable staircase.

He has also surrounded himself with aides for the short walk from the White House to his helicopter on the lawn, preventing cameras from focusing on his stiff gait.

Biden, who has always been gaffe-prone, has not given a long press conference since January 2022 and spends almost every weekend in one of his Delaware homes, with no official schedule.

When he recently visited France to commemorate the 1944 Allied landings, he went straight from the airport to his hotel, where he remained for an entire day, with no public appearances.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

The White House said Tuesday that President Joe Biden can bounce back from his poor debate performance last week, adding there was no need for him to prove his cognitive abilities.

“He knows how to come back,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, adding that his medical team had previously said a cognitive test for Biden, 81, “is not warranted, it is not necessary.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The United States crashed out of the Copa America on Monday after a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay, as Panama sealed their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Bolivia. The tournament hosts suffered an upset 2-1 defeat to Panama last week and went into Monday’s final Group C game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City needing to match or better Panama’s result against Bolivia to advance. But US coach Gregg Berhalter’s side never looked like doing enough to seriously threaten a well-drilled Uruguay who advance to the last eight as group winners.

“Just looking at the faces of the staff and the players, we’re bitterly disappointed with the results,” Berhalter said.

“We know that we’re capable of more and in this tournament we didn’t show it. It’s really as simple as that. We should have done better.

“We’ll do a review and figure out what went wrong, why it went wrong, but it’s an empty feeling right now for sure.”

USA captain Christian Pulisic blamed a lack of attacking quality.

“We had a good start and brought a lot of energy, but just didn’t have enough quality,” he said. “We just couldn’t find a solution.”

Hopes of a great escape for Berhalter’s men faded inside the first 30 minutes as news filtered through that Panama had taken a 1-0 lead against Bolivia in Orlando.

US hopes were revived early in the second half after Bolivia equalised, leaving the hosts on course for qualification, provided they continued to hold Uruguay.

Yet the US optimism was punctured just moments later when Uruguay took the lead in controversial circumstances through Mathias Olivera on 66 minutes.

‘Pretty crazy’

Ronald Araujo’s powerful header from Nicolas de la Cruz’s free-kick was parried away by US goalkeeper Matt Turner, but only into the path of Olivera, who tucked away the rebound.

Replays appeared to show that Olivera was offside when Araujo first made contact with the ball, but despite a lengthy VAR review, Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega ruled that the goal should stand.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Berhalter said. “I don’t understand it, I feel like I know the offside rule pretty well.

“It’s disappointing. It really is. But you know that that happens in football, and we have to live with it.”

The mathematics of qualification looked even more bleak for the US after news that Panama had scored again through Eduardo Guerrero to regain the lead at 2-1, and the final nail in the coffin came when Cesar Yanis added a third for Panama in stoppage time.

The USA’s first-round exit raises fresh questions about the future of Berhalter, who remains deeply unpopular amongst swathes of American fans.

Berhalter was only reappointed to the US job in June last year following a hiatus after leading the team to the 2022 World Cup.

The nature of Monday’s early exit is certain to reignite debate about whether he is the best man to lead the United States into the 2026 World Cup on home soil.

Failure to defeat Uruguay, 14th in the latest FIFA rankings, extends Berhalter’s poor record against top 20 teams.

Berhalter has just five wins in 20 matches against top-20 teams during his reign, and four of those victories came against regional rivals Mexico — who were also eliminated from the Copa in the first round.

That dismal sequence continued after a toothless attacking performance against Uruguay, where the US registered only three shots on goal in a misfiring offensive display.

Defender Antonee Robinson described the officiating as “amateur hour” but stressed responsibility for the defeat lay with the players.

“Just not enough quality in the final third,” Robinson said.

“At the end of the day we weren’t good enough to get the result today. This is on us.”