India and China can play a role in finding a solution to the Ukraine conflict, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday (September 7) as she held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Her remarks came at Italy’s Cernobbio city two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned that India, Brazil, and China could play a role in the resolution of the conflict.
Reaffirming Italy’s unwavering support to Ukraine, Meloni said, “Italy would never backtrack on its support for Ukraine. The decision was not just morally right but also in the national interest given it was aimed at safeguarding rules designed to protect a country's national integrity.”
“It's a choice that won't change. China and India have a role to play in resolving the conflict,” she added.
Her comments came weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ukraine on a historic trip and held talks with Zelenskyy. He had offered to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
What had Putin said?
On Thursday, Putin said that he was in touch with India, Brazil, and China on the Ukraine conflict. He was speaking at a panel discussion at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok.
"First of all, it is Chinese People's Republic, Brazil, and India -- I am in contact with my partners and I have no doubt that the leaders of these countries -- and we have relations of trust and confidence with one another -- will be really interested and provide a helping hand," he said.
His remarks came in response to a question on possible countries that can act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine.
PM Modi visited Kyiv last month during which he conveyed to Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the ongoing war and that India was ready to play an "active role" to restore peace in the region.
The prime minister said India was on the side of peace since the beginning of the conflict and he would even like to contribute personally for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
PM Modi's nearly nine-hour visit to Ukraine on August 23, the first by an Indian prime minister since its independence in 1991, came six weeks after he held summit talks with Russian President Putin in Moscow.
(With inputs from agencies)
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