U.S. sends senior national security official to India to discuss Ukraine

FILE PHOTO: Deputy National Security Advisor for international economics Daleep Singh gives an update on sanctions during a daily press briefing on the U.S. response after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's deputy national security adviser for economics, Daleep Singh, will travel to New Delhi and meet government officials to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine and develop an economic framework for the Indo-Pacific, the White House said on Tuesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also planning to visit India, one of the biggest buyers of Russian commodities. New Delhi has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine but has refused to explicitly condemn Moscow's actions. India has also abstained from voting on multiple U.N. resolutions on the war.