Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Truss calls for stronger ties during India visit

Truss calls for stronger ties during India visit

STRONGER ties with India are more important than ever before in view of the crisis in Ukraine, British foreign secretary Liz Truss said Thursday (31), but she said the UK would not tell India not to buy discounted Russian oil.

Her comments came after talks with India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar.


Truss said the Ukraine crisis highlighted the need for “like-minded nations” to work together and that developments in that country will have far-reaching implications for the globe.

"Strengthening the relationship with India is more important than it has ever been precisely because we are living in a more insecure world, precisely because we have (Russia president Vladimir) Putin's appalling invasion of Ukraine," she said.

"I think it is very significant that sanctions are applied on Russia," she said. Truss was speaking at the India-UK Strategic Futures Forum along with Jaishankar.

She conceded that for many years, many western nations had prioritised cheap prices and resources over long term security interests.

In her opening comments at the talks, Truss stressed respecting the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law.

LEAD Truss Goyal CREDIT gov dot uk The UK's international trade secretary Liz Truss (Photo: gov.uk)

Jaishankar outlined the progress in the implementation of the Roadmap 2030 adopted in May by UK and India prime ministers Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi, respectively, last year.

Ahead of the talks, the British High Commission said in a statement that Truss will convey to Jaishankar that Russia's invasion of Ukraine underlines the importance of democracies to work together to deter "aggressors" and reduce vulnerability to "coercion".

Jaishankar noted how geographic proximity meant priorities varied for different countries and illustrated the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan to make the point.

There has been a flurry of visits by foreign dignitaries to India in the last few days.

US deputy national security adviser Daleep Singh arrived in India on Wednesday (30) while Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Delhi this evening (31).

Truss wants to "counter" Russia's aggression and reduce global strategic dependence on Moscow for oil and gas ahead of key NATO and G7 meetings next week.

"Deeper ties between Britain and India will boost security in the Indo-Pacific and globally, and create jobs and opportunities in both countries," Truss said, according to the statement.

"This matters even more in the context of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and underlines the need for free democracies to work closer together in areas like defence, trade and cyber security," she added.

More For You

King Charles

King Charles, wearing a black armband to pay respects to the victims of Air India plane crash, attends the Trooping the Colour parade on his official birthday in London. (Photo: Reuters)

Air India crash: Victims remembered during King Charles's birthday parade

A MINUTE's silence for the victims of the Air India plane crash was observed on Saturday during the Trooping the Colour parade in London marking King Charles's official birthday. Some members of the royal family wore black armbands during the ceremony.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles, 76, had requested changes to the parade “as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rochdale grooming case

They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began. (Photo: Greater Manchester Police)

Seven men convicted of raping 13-year-old girls in Rochdale grooming case

SEVEN men were convicted on Friday in the UK’s latest grooming trial, after a jury heard that two girl victims were forced to have sex “with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses”.

Jurors at the court in Manchester, northwest England, deliberated for three weeks before finding the seven men, all of whom are of South Asian descent, guilty of rape.

Keep ReadingShow less
karan-thakar

Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles

Karun Collection

Karun Thakar Fund to support textile research with scholarships and grants

THE KARUN THAKAR FUND, established by textile collector Karun Thakar in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supports the study of Asian and African textiles and dress through scholarships and project grants.

The fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 for university students worldwide focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from any accredited university are eligible, provided their research or practice is clearly linked to these areas. The next round of Scholarship Award applications opens on 1 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 on July 15, 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

A view shows the wreckage of the tail section of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from airport in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)

Air India crash: Probe focuses on engine and flaps; safety checks ordered for 787 fleet

THE INVESTIGATION into the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the aircraft's engine, flaps, and landing gear.

The Indian aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing 787 fleet, reported Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less