Ukraine: PM Modi meets Putin, reiterates India’s position on war
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Hours after he landed in Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reiterated India’s position that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict should be resolved peacefully and New Delhi is ready to provide all possible cooperation towards it.
The war started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has since witnessed wanton destruction, migrations, and killings on both sides. The West and its allies have imposed several sanctions against Russia but India has refrained from condemning Moscow and sought diplomatic resolution of the conflict.
PM Modi, who visited both Russia and Ukraine in recent months, reiterated his remarks during his bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as well.
In his televised opening remarks, he conveyed to the Russian leader that New Delhi “fully supports” the early return of peace and stability in the region.
PM Modi also said that his second visit to Russia in the last three months reflected “close” coordination and deep trust between the two friendly countries.
“We are in constant touch on the issue of ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. As I said earlier, we believe that problems should be resolved peacefully,” the PM said.
“We fully support the early return of peace and stability. All our efforts give priority to humanity. India is ready to provide all possible cooperation in times to come,” he said.
“We have the opportunity to discuss all these issues,” he added.
He also referred to his bilateral summit talks with President Putin in Moscow in July.
“Our annual summit resulted in strengthening cooperation in every field,” he said.
PM Modi congratulated Putin on Russia’s successful presidency of BRICS and said many countries want to join the grouping now.
