White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator Says India Will ‘Never Be’ Ally of US Despite Ties

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - White House Indo-Pacific Affairs Coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Thursday that India will never be an ally of the United States despite close ties between the two countries.

Campbell added that he considers the US-India relationship the most important bilateral relationship for the US in the 21st century.

“India is a great power. India is not an ally of the United States and will never be an ally of the United States, but it does not mean that we will not be close partners and share many things,” Campbell said during a Center for a New American Security event.

The US seeks to deepen its relationship with India through more people-to-people, educational and health partnership, Campbell also said.

Western media have recently led a smear campaign against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an effort to incite unrest in the country, Major General Dhruv Katoch, an Indian military expert and director of India Foundation research center, told Sputnik.

India’s independent foreign policy aspirations and neutral stance on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the face of pressure have upset a number of Western countries, Katoch said.

US President Joe Biden plans to host Modi for a state dinner in Washington this year, potentially in June, US media reported earlier this month.