US secretary of state Antony Blinken said India and Russia became partners of choice out of necessity when the United States was not in a position to be New Delhi's partner. But now that the US is working towards strengthening ties with India, there is a growing strategic convergence between the United States and India, Blinken said at a Congressional hearing by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations. His opinion on the India-US relationship was sought by Senator William Hagerty during the hearing. The India-US relationship is one of the most debated issues in the aftermath of New Delhi's decision to not sever trade ties with Russia even after it attacked Ukraine.

"This partnership has the potential to be one of the most important and foundational partnerships that we have going forward over the next decades. This has actually been a success story of multiple administrations. Going back to the end of the Clinton administration, through the Bush administration...," Blinken said adding the US, India's engagement through Quad. US President Joe Biden has spent a lot of time with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and so has Blinked with his Indian counterpart, he said.

In the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, Blinken said a number of countries are now relooking their relationship with Russia. "And in the case of India, there was a relationship that goes back to decades. Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner. Now, we are investing in that effort. I think there is a growing strategic convergence between the United States and India. And of course, China is a big part of that," Blinken said.

Following the sanctions imposed by the US on Russia, New Delhi's deals with Moscow have come on the radar. Though Washington clarified that as long as the deals do not violate the sanctions, it is none of its business, it also implied that it won't like India to depend on Moscow now that the US is ready to co-operate with India. New Delhi has also made it clear in no uncertain terms that it will continue trade with Russia in the interest of the nation.

(With inputs from agencies)