During his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted India’s readiness to cooperate in all possible ways to restore peace. The meeting took place amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, with the world closely watching the interactions between the two leaders.
Modi, in his opening remarks, addressed the devastating impact of the war, particularly emphasizing the heart-wrenching loss of innocent lives, including children. He stated, “Everyone believing in humanity is pained if there is loss of lives. In that too, if innocent children are murdered; if innocent children die, it is heart-wrenching and very painful.”
He further emphasized India’s commitment to peace, assuring the world community that India stands firmly in favor of it. “For restoration of peace, India is ready to cooperate in all ways…I assure you and the world community that India is in favor of peace. Listening to my friend Putin talk about peace yesterday, gives me hope.”
Recognizing the global attention on the summit, Modi remarked, “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.”
Beyond the Ukraine conflict, Modi also touched upon other pressing global issues during the bilateral meeting. He addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world, the threat of terrorism, and the global fertilizer shortage.
Highlighting India’s proactive approach, Modi stated, “The last five years were very concerning, challenging for the entire world, entire humankind. We had to go through several problems. First, due to COVID and later the era of conflicts and tensions in various parts caused several issues for humankind…Even in such a situation, when the world was facing a food-fuel-fertiliser crisis, due to India-Russia friendship and cooperation I did not let the farmers of my country face a crisis of fertiliser…Our friendship has played a huge role towards this. We are committed to the interest of farmers. Even in the days to come, we would want our cooperation with Russia to further advance in the interest of farmers.”
Modi also condemned terrorism, drawing a parallel to the terror incidents in Moscow and Dagestan. He stated, “In the last 40-50 years, India has been facing terrorism. How horrible and disgusting terrorism is, we have been facing for the last 40 years. So, when terror incidents occurred in Moscow, when terror incidents occurred in Dagestan, I can imagine how deep its pain would be. I strongly condemn all kinds of terrorism.”
The summit between Modi and Putin signifies the ongoing diplomatic efforts to navigate the complex global landscape and address pressing issues, including the conflict in Ukraine and the need for international peace and cooperation.
