'We are keeping pressure on Russia, not on our friends': US official on Modi-Biden meet

Leaders of major economies from around the world are attending the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. PM Modi and the US President are among the leaders who are at the summit. US President Joe Biden's party recently performed better than expected in the US midterm elections and as a result, he is stronger in the international arena. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is dominating the G20 summit's agenda. 

US State Department Spokesman Zed Tarar informed reporters that the US is maintaining pressure on Russia, not on India, in response to a question about if the US was maintaining pressure on India regarding India's ties with Russia. "We are keeping pressure on Russia, not on our friends," said the US State Department's spokesperson. During the opening session of the G20 summit, US President Joe Biden and PM Modi shared a warm moment with each other. India is set to take over the G20 presidency from Indonesia. 

PM Modi calls for a ceasefire 

"The Summit will witness extensive deliberations on ways to overcome important global challenges. It will also focus on ways to further sustainable development across our planet," the Prime Minister's Office said. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that the war in Ukraine needs to end. "The world must not slip into another cold war," he added. PM Modi called for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and highlighted the need for diplomacy. UK PM Rishi Sunak lamented the Russian President's absence and said that if he had attended, perhaps things could have been sorted out. Joe Biden and Xi Jinping had their 1st bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the G20 summit, in which Xi said that peace across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwanese independence are as irreconcilable as water and fire. Xi reportedly also told Biden that China does not seek to replace the US. Biden assured Xi that the US does not support Taiwanese independence.