A day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar commented on the US decision to provide a $450 million sustenance package for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken clarified that it is not a new program. Blinken stated that it was a program for Pakistan’s existing F-16s, and it was Washington’s duty to provide military equipment to ensure that the aircraft are maintained and sustained to enhance Islamabad’s capability to deal with terrorist threats from Al Qaeda and ISIS.
Blinken emphasized that it is important to prevent these threats from progressing with impunity. He also highlighted the terrorism threats originating from Pakistan and neighboring countries and stressed the need to have the means to deal with them.
Furthermore, Blinken affirmed that the US always encourages its friends to resolve their differences through diplomacy and dialogue.
In a separate development, Jaishankar revealed that India had discussed grain shipment from ports in the Black Sea with Russia. He stated that India has consistently maintained that the conflict is not in anyone’s interest.
Jaishankar also mentioned that he had discussions with the Prime Minister of Ukraine and the UN Secretary General on specific concerns related to the conflict. He emphasized the importance of addressing and mitigating these issues.
Additionally, Jaishankar expressed India’s concern over the spike in oil prices due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stating that it is “breaking our back.”
He also met with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon to discuss new opportunities for bilateral defence industrial cooperation and the launch of a new defence dialogue later this year.
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