MoscowPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, their first conversation days after the Indian leader embarked on a seven-hour trip to war-torn Ukraine. PM Modi also shared insights from his visit to Ukraine, which was hailed as a “diplomatic balancing act” by India, and reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward for any solution.
The Kremlin said that Prime Minister Modi briefed Putin on his recent visit to Ukraine and expressed interest in contributing to a diplomatic solution to the situation. “For his part, Vladimir Putin made a fundamental assessment of the destructive line of the Kiev authorities and their Western sponsors, highlighting key Russian approaches to resolving the conflict,” reads a statement from Putin’s office.
The Kremlin also referred to the “practical implementation of agreements” in the economic and trade sphere following Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Russia in July. “Satisfaction was expressed with the level of interaction between the two BRICS countries. Narendra Modi confirmed his readiness to participate in the association summit to be held under the Russian presidency in Kazan in October 2024. It was agreed to continue bilateral contacts at various levels,” it added.
In a letter to X, PM Modi wrote: “I spoke with President Putin today. We discussed steps to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. We exchanged perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and my observations from the recent visit to Ukraine. I reiterated India’s strong commitment to support an early, lasting and peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
Biden speaks with Prime Minister Modi
In his conversation with Biden, PM Modi briefed him on his recent visit to Ukraine. He reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy and expressed full support for the early return of peace and stability. The two world leaders spoke on Monday as the situation in Ukraine and Bangladesh remains tense, due to a protracted war with Russia in the former and violent protests in the latter.
“The President praised the Prime Minister for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian prime minister in decades, and for his message of peace and continued humanitarian support for Ukraine, including its energy sector,” the White House said in a statement. Biden and Modi affirmed their continued support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in accordance with international law, based on the United Nations Charter.
This was the first call between the two leaders after Modi’s trip to Russia, Poland and Ukraine, as well as the recent developments in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Modi visits Ukraine
Prime Minister Modi paid a one-day visit to Ukraine on August 23, following a trip to Poland. He became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Ukraine since its independence. He met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in kyiv and offered assistance in bringing peace to the region. He also promised that India would always stand by Ukraine in humanitarian assistance.
PM Modi noted that India had stayed out of the war between Russia and Ukraine, but stressed that it had “never been neutral” and had always been “in favour of peace”. India and Ukraine also signed four agreements on agriculture, food industry, medicine, culture and humanitarian assistance.
“History was made today. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to Ukraine since the day of our country’s independence, on the eve of our Independence Day. Today we reached an agreement on four documents between Ukraine and India, covering the medical field, agricultural cooperation, humanitarian relations and culture,” Zelenskyy said after his talks with Prime Minister Modi.
“India supports Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and this is critical because everyone must equally respect the UN Charter,” he added. Notably, PM Modi’s first visit to Ukraine came after a trip to Moscow in July that drew sharp criticism from Zelensky, who said it was a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hugging the world’s most bloodthirsty criminal in Moscow on a day like this.”
PM Modi and Putin pledged to strengthen bilateral and trade relations and called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict. Putin praised PM Modi’s efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution to the two-and-a-half-year-old war.
(with contributions from the agency)
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