Moscow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again made a sharp criticism of the current situation in Ukraine in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and said, "There is no solution on the battlefield to the conflict and that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward". During the bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister emphasised India is ready to cooperate in order to restore peace. According to PM Modi, his "friend" Putin also had the same sentiment when he had a separate dialogue with the President during dinner.
"For the restoration of peace, India is ready to cooperate in all ways...I assure you and the world community that India is in favour of peace. Listening to my friend Putin talk about peace yesterday, gives me hope. I would like to say to my media friends - Possible," he said. It is worth noting this was not the first time when Prime Minister Modi kept his words staunchly in front of Putin. Earlier in 2022, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, PM Modi had said, "This is not an era of war". At that time, PM Modi's remarks were widely praised.
"I know that today's era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this," Modi told Putin on the sidelines of a regional security bloc summit in Uzbekistan, adding that democracy, diplomacy and dialogue keep the world together.
World has kept an eye on this meeting: PM Modi
Further, the Prime Minister maintained he had been meeting with Putin for the past 20 years but the world has specifically kept an eye on his current visit. Notably, the meeting between Indian and Russian leaders coincided with the NATO Summit in Washington, where top world leaders including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zeleneksyy were scheduled to attend.
"Perhaps this is such a meeting that the focus of the entire world is on this visit of mine. The entire world is drawing out different meanings of this visit...Yesterday, you invited me to your residence and like a true friend we spent 4-5 hours together. We discussed several topics. I am happy that we openly discussed the issue of Ukraine in detail and we tried to listen and respectfully understand each other's opinions."
PM Modi says killing of kids in Ukraine "very painful"
PM Modi told Putin that the death of innocent children in war, conflict or a terrorist attack was "very painful". He also said that a solution to the war in Ukraine "cannot be found on the battlefield ... we have to find peace through talks". Putin, speaking before Modi, said their two countries enjoyed a special strategic partnership and thanked him for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war. He welcomed Modi in the Kremlin for talks on deepening the bilateral relationship, a day after the United States said it had raised concerns with India about its ties with Moscow.
