The legislative amendment was passed on 14 July by voice vote as part of an en bloc (all together as a single unit) amendment during floor consideration of the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA).

“The United States must stand with India in the face of escalating aggression from China. As Vice Chair of the India Caucus, I have been working to strengthen the partnership between our countries and ensure that India can defend itself along the Indian Chinese border,” said Khanna.

“This amendment is of the utmost importance, and I am proud to see it pass the House on a bipartisan basis,” he said.

In his remarks on the House floor, Khanna said there is no relationship of greater significance to US strategic interests than the US-India partnership.

“My bipartisan NDAA amendment marks the most significant piece of legislation for US-India relations out of Congress since the US-India nuclear deal,” Khanna said.

The legislation says that the United States-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) is a welcome and essential step to developing closer partnerships between governments, academia, and industry in the two countries to address the latest advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Such collaborations between engineers and computer scientists are vital to help ensure that the United States and India, as well as other democracies around the world, foster innovation and facilitate technological advances which continue to far outpace Russian and Chinese technology, it said.

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“My view is that it’s going to be very hard for anyone to buy major weapon systems from Moscow in the coming months and years, given sweeping financial sanctions that the administration, with the support of Congress has levelled…I would guess that India is one of those countries worried about that,” Lu said, as mentioned in a report by news agency ANI.

India is one of the largest importers of Russian arms. India recently cancelled orders for MiG-29 fighter aircraft, helicopters and anti-tank weapons, he said, further adding that the sanctions might motivate other countries to follow suit, the news agency reported.

Lu’s comments came after India was criticised by both Republicans and Democrats for abstaining from voting at the UN to rebuke Russia’s invasion. India was among 35 nations to abstain.

The diplomat said that the Biden administration is yet to decide on applying sanctions on India under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). He said that India is a “really important security partner” and that the US values the partnership.

Lu also said that the US is trying to urge India to take a ‘clear position’ on the Russia-Ukraine war. The diplomat said that India’s position arises from two things – to be able to leave the possibility of a diplomatic resolution open, and the 18,000 students still stuck in Ukraine, as mentioned in the report.

Even without a clear position, Lu said, some evolution can be seen such as India’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and its call to all states to abide by the UN Charter to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states.

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