'Can't hold India to loyalty test every 5 minutes': Ex-US Secretary of State's reality check to Washington after Modi's Russia trip

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently dismissed concerns around Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Russia trip. Rice, who is currently a Director at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, said that the US cannot hold India to a "loyalty test" every 5 minutes with respect to its international commitments. 

Speaking at the third INDUS-X (India-United States Defence Acceleration Ecosystem), Rice called the Indo-US ties enduring and bipartisan. She further said that whoever comes to the White House knows the importance of relationship. 

"Countries wish to, as India says, have strategic autonomy and I have no problem with that. But it is our (US and India's) deep interests that will ultimately lead to a stronger relationship," the former US Secretary of State said.

Moving ahead, she said that PM Modi's Russia visit would not lead to much for India on the defence side. Calling Russian military equipment "junk", Rice acknowledged that the US has been slow on stepping up military cooperation with India and lost vital time and opportunity. 

She also mentioned that Prime Minister Modi is aware of the strong "no-limits" alliance between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could present a significant challenge for India.

Rice characterized China as a formidable rival to the US, noting that the current situation is more serious than the Cold War.

While Moscow was once a military powerhouse but lacking in technology and economic strength, China has effectively harnessed technology and is deeply integrated into global networks and supply chains, making it a more complex issue to navigate.

Rice played a key role in advancing the Indo-US civil nuclear deal during the George W. Bush administration. In the last three months, Prime Minister Modi has visited both Russia and Ukraine.

On August 27, he spoke with Putin shortly after his visit to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. India has expressed its support for any practical and mutually acceptable solution that could bring peace between the two nations.

Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will visit Moscow this week to engage in discussions focused on resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.