Washington: India is involved in a set of ongoing conversations with interlocutors on all sides to find a way to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a top Indian diplomat said on Sunday, noting that there is still quite a bit of work remaining to be done. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the people see value in India's engagement in these conversations.
"We are involved in a set of ongoing conversations with interlocutors on all sides. Obviously, the people see value in India's engagement in these conversations, and we are able to talk to multiple interlocutors,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters in New York during a special briefing on the first day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-day visit to the US. “This is not something that is going to have an outcome in the present stage because there is still quite a bit of work that remains to be done,” Misri said in response to a question.
At the moment, these are very important conversations that are going on with multiple people on all sides of this conflict, he added.
PM Modi's historic Ukraine visit
Notably, Prime Minister Modi on August 23 visited Ukraine and conveyed to President Volodymyr 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. His nearly nine-hour visit to Ukraine, the first by an Indian prime minister since its independence in 1991, came six weeks after he held summit talks with President Vladimir Putin that triggered anguish in some Western countries.
In his talks with Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Modi said India was on the side of peace since the beginning of the conflict and he would even like to contribute personally to a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
Biden commends PM Modi's visit to war-torn country
During the conversation, Misri said Biden commended PM Modi's historic visit to Ukraine and his message of peace as the two leaders held wide-ranging talks that figured pressing global challenges, including the situation in the war-ravaged country.
In the talks, Biden conveyed to the Indian prime minister that the US supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India's important voice, including permanent membership for New Delhi in a reformed UN Security Council, according to a joint fact sheet on the meeting.
Though the Modi-Biden talks primarily focused on bilateral ties, the two leaders also touched upon key global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Indo-Pacific that has witnessed increasing Chinese muscle-flexing.
The fact-sheet said President Biden expressed his "immense appreciation" for India's leading role on the world stage, particularly Modi's leadership in the G-20 and in the Global South and his commitment to strengthen the Quad to ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Bangladesh figured in discussions during the Quad Summit
In response to another question, Misri said Bangladesh also figured in the discussions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in his bilateral and multilateral meetings. “There was an exchange of views with regard to the situation there,” he said.
"As I said, these discussions cover subjects that are in the region. They may be of bilateral interest to one party or the other but they do have significance beyond the region as well. And in this context, a number of situations came up for discussion. Bangladesh also figured in the discussions, and there was an exchange of views about the situation..." Bangladesh had witnessed several incidents of violence and chaos, especially targeting minorities, including Hindus after its former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee to India after student protests turned into a massive anti-government movement. Haseena resigned from her position on August 5.
(With inputs from agency)
