Russia-Ukraine war: As the ravaging war in Eastern Europe has been going on for almost a year now, the United States reiterated that it will welcome any effort made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking to the media, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US would welcome any effort that could lead to an end of hostilities in Ukraine. "I think there's still time for Putin to stop the war. I think there's still time for it. I will let Prime Minister Modi speak to whatever efforts he's willing to undertake.
Meanwhile, Kirby also welcomed PM Modi's statement during his interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hailing PM Modi's "this is not the era of war", the US said that it was a statement of principle which resonated widely in Europe in a very positive way.
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'Today's era is not of war': PM Modi
On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's summit, PM Modi said, "Today's era is not of war and I have spoken to you about it on the call. Today we will get the opportunity to talk about how we can progress on the path of peace."
Meanwhile, Kirby blamed President Putin for the Russia-Ukraine war. He said, "The single person responsible for what the Ukrainian people are going through is Vladimir Putin and he could stop it right now." "Instead, he's firing cruise missiles into energy and power infrastructure and trying to knock out the lights and knock out the heat so the Ukrainian people suffer even more than they already have," he added.
Kirby, however, said that the end of hostilities should come, “in keeping with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s objectives and leadership, his determination of what is acceptable to the Ukrainian people. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. “So that when President Zelenskyy determines it's time to negotiate and he's the only one that can make that determination he can do it with the strongest hand possible,” he added.
Kirby also highlighted US President Joe Biden’s efforts to end the devastating war between Russia and Ukraine. “So President Biden has said these gosh dozens of times. We think this war could end today, should end today,” he remarked.
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Russia-Ukraine war
It is significant to mention here that Russian President Putin ordered a special military operation on February 24 in Ukraine's Donbass region which swiftly extended across the country. The war between the two countries was declared after Russia recognised the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered its army to conduct a "peacekeeping operation" in the area.
As per reports, about 8 million Ukrainians were displaced within their country by late May, and more than 7.9 million fled the country by the first week of January 2023. Meanwhile, the invasion has also caused tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.
(With inputs from ANI)
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