WASHINGTON, Feb 17: The United States expects India to support the US if Russia invades Ukraine, in accordance with the rules of the Quad, of which India is a member, to maintain international order, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday.

The Russian threat to Ukraine was discussed at the recent Quad meeting attended by the Foreign Ministers of India, US, Australia and Japan in Melbourne.

"There was a strong consensus in that meeting that there needs to be a diplomatic, peaceful resolution to this. One of the core tenants of the Quad is to reinforce the rules based on international order," he said.

Elaborating on the subject, he said the rules apply equally to Europe as it applies to the Indo-Pacific. He said "large countries cannot bully smaller countries" and "borders cannot be redrawn by force" listing some of the rules that govern Quad.

The State Department spokesperson accused Russia of carrying out false propaganda of incursions into Ukraine and Russian territory by US and NATO forces. He said there is no truth in Putin's allegations of genocide in Donbas, a stronghold of pro-Russian separatists.

Moscow, on the other hand, has been all along asserting that it has no plan to invade Ukraine. However, it wants that Ukraine or other former Soviet republics should not become members of NATO and the alliance shouldd pull back forces from these countries.