Addressing a joint press conference along with the visiting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Blinken said that the United States was not the only target of this broader programme which has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents.
A reason not to shoot it down at this point, Pentagon said, is that besides not posing a threat to people or aircraft, the resulting debris from a strike of this large balloon could be harmful to people on the ground and result in property damage.
Blinken-Doval meeting: The meeting between the two comes as Doval was on an official visit to Washington from January 30 to February 1. He was accompanied by senior government officials and leaders of Indian industry.
India-US ties: At the end of the ASEAN gala dinner on Saturday, EAM Jaishankar also met UN chief António Guterres. Additionally, he also held discussions with his counterpart from Thailand, Don Pramudwinai.
India, which has a USD 2,000 per capita economy, is concerned over the spike in the price of oil due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and it is "breaking our back, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.
Blinken said US will continue to expand cooperation with Taiwan on its many shared interests and values as well as "support Taiwan's meaningful participation in the international community, deepen economic ties consistent with our One China Policy."
"In the case of India, there is a relationship that goes back decades. And Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner," he told lawmakers on Wednesday (April 27).
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif took oath as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan on Monday after being elected by the National Assembly of the country.
India and United States are scheduled to hold a 2+2 dialogue in Washington on Apr 11.
Ukrainian Foreign Min Dmytro Kuleba, who jointly addressed a news conference with Blinken at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of State Dept, said that the world must respond with all its economic might to punish Russia for the crimes it has already committed and ahead of the crimes it plans to commit.
With fears of an invasion of Ukraine running high and seemingly intractable demands, US Secy of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met for about 90 minutes in Geneva at what the American said was a “critical moment.”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the NATO ministers will “together send an unmistakable message to the Russian government; NATO's support for Ukraine is unbroken and its independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty are not up for discussion”.
According to the release, Blinken and Pandor emphasized the importance of continued partnership among the US, the African Union, South Africa, and other African countries to help vaccinate people against COVID.
The virtual meeting will be the 3rd engagement between the two leaders since the month of February.
India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region.
Blinken said that although the Taliban has committed to not allow anyone to threaten any country, including the United States, from Afghanistan's territory, the US will not rely on that commitment.
US President Joe Biden would host the first in-person Quad summit on Sep 24 in Washington which will be attended by PM Modi, PM of Australia Scott Morrison and Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga.
Bob Menendez Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asserted: "We need to understand the double-dealing by Pakistan and providing a safe haven to the Taliban."
Blinken had mixed results in attempting to face down 2nd day of tough congressional questioning, this time from Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Biden administration's "over-the-horizon" strategy in Afghanistan is drawing serious questions from lawmakers and counterterrorism experts.
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