Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday and reiterated New Delhi’s position on the conflict between the two nations.
Modi congratulated Putin on his victory in the recent presidential elections that ensured his fifth term as the president of Russia.
Though the United States and the other nations in the West as well as the European Union questioned the credibility of the elections in Russia, Modi wished Putin the best, and the two leaders agreed to make concerted efforts towards further strengthening the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries in the years to come, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi.
Putin also wished Modi “successful parliamentary elections” which would be held from April 19 to June 1 with the counting of votes scheduled to be held on June 4.
Zelenskyy told Modi that India’s participation in the peace summit, which would be held in Switzerland later this year to discuss ways to end the conflict, most possibly without the participation of Russia. “I spoke with Prime Minister @NarendraModi to express gratitude for India's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, humanitarian aid, and active participation in Peace Formula meetings,” the Ukrainian President posted on X after the phone call with his counterpart in India.
“Had a good conversation with President @ZelenskyyUa on strengthening the India-Ukraine partnership. Conveyed India’s consistent support for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to the ongoing conflict. India will continue to provide humanitarian assistance guided by our people-centric approach,” Modi posted on the social media platform after speaking to Zelenskyy.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is likely to host Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in New Delhi soon. They will jointly chair the meeting of the intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation.
Modi told Zelenskyy that India would support all efforts for an early and peaceful resolution of all issues between Russia and Ukraine. He added that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution.
“Ukraine is interested in strengthening our trade and economic ties with India, particularly in agricultural exports, aviation cooperation, and pharmaceutical and industrial product trade,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Ukraine also wishes to welcome Indian students back to Ukrainian educational institutions.”
Modi and Putin reviewed progress in various issues of India-Russia bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, according to the MEA in New Delhi.
“Both parties (Putin and Modi) expressed satisfaction with the consistent and dynamic development of mutually beneficial ties in trade, the economy, investment, energy, and transport, reflecting the spirit of their special and privileged strategic partnership,” according to a statement released by the Russian Government in Moscow after the phone call between the two leaders.