New Delhi, March 25 External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and visiting US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, held a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday, discussing the current geopolitical situation.
"Pleased to meet US Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby this afternoon. We exchanged views on the current geopolitical situation," EAM Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting.
On Tuesday, Colby said the US views India with deep respect and that New Delhi's decisions will profoundly shape the future of the Indo-Pacific.
"The United States views India with deep respect — as a republic of continental scale, as a nation with a proud strategic tradition, and as a country whose decisions will profoundly shape the future of the Indo-Pacific and the international landscape more broadly. Our two countries, of course, differ in important ways, including history, geography, and perspective. Yet, we share something fundamental: a conviction that the future of Asia should be determined by sovereign nations that can chart their own course," Colby said during a special session at the Ananta Centre.
The top Pentagon official is in India to engage with senior officials in New Delhi and to help advance the critical India-US relationship.
He mentioned that the US sees India not merely as a key partner, but as an essential one in ensuring a long-term favorable balance of power in Asia.
"India's importance stems not only from its size and economic potential, but also from its geography and strategic position. Your country sits astride the Indian Ocean, which is the connective tissue of the Indo-Pacific. India possesses a long tradition of strategic autonomy and a growing capacity to shape events well beyond its borders. It is the largest republic in the world; its success thus carries profound symbolic and political weight. And it has formidable, self-reliant, and capable military forces, willing and able to shoulder significant security responsibilities," said Colby.
Citing that India's role is indispensable, the US Under Secretary mentioned that Washington's approach to the strategic partnership with India is interests-based and realistic, shaped by geopolitics and incentives, rather than vague aspirations or detached idealism.
"We clearly recognise that India has its own interests, its own strategic culture, and its own priorities, and that India is not shy about advancing them," said Colby, adding that the perspectives of India and the US seem deeply aligned.
"External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar has termed India's approach 'Bharat First' and its strategic approach 'the India Way'. Like 'America First' and flexible realism, 'Bharat First' and the 'India Way' emphasise the centrality of a realistic approach to foreign policy, an unabashed willingness to put one's own national priorities first, and a results-oriented mindset about international politics," the US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy said.
While announcing Elbridge Colby's visit to India, the US Department of Defense stated, "Under Secretary Colby's visit will focus on advancing the goals established by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi in their February 2025 joint statement and on implementing the Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership."