US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit on Monday, clouded by US frustration over New Delhi's neutral stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The South Asian nation has tried to walk a tightrope between maintaining relations with the West and avoiding alienating Russia, and has not imposed sanctions over the war.
New Delhi has raised concerns in Washington in particular by continuing to buy Russian oil and gas, despite pressure from Biden for world leaders to take a hard line against Moscow, reported AFP.
India said ahead of the talks the meeting would be about strengthening the allies' "comprehensive global strategic partnership," while Washington spotlighted "Russia's brutal war against Ukraine and mitigating its destabilizing impact."
The more pointed US statement suggested that a resolute Biden would press Modi to take a stronger line on Moscow during the call.
The state-run Indian Oil Corp. has bought at least three million barrels of crude from Russia since the start of the invasion on February 24, in defiance of an embargo by Western nations.
Biden and Modi failed to reach a joint condemnation of the Russian invasion when they last spoke in early March at a meeting of the so-called "Quad" alliance of the United States, India, Australia and Japan.
New Delhi abstained when the UN General Assembly voted last week to suspend Russia from its seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council over allegations that Russian soldiers in Ukraine engaged in war crimes.
