Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin go to the Atom pavilion on the Exhibition of Achievements of Nationwide Economic system (VDNKh) in Moscow, Russia, July 9, 2024. | Picture credit score: Reuters
On July 9, the White Home mentioned that India’s ties with Russia give it the power to induce Russian President Vladimir Putin to finish the battle in Ukraine. The assertion got here after Prime Minister Modi careworn to President Putin that the answer to the Ukraine battle lay in dialogue and never on the battlefield.
At a press briefing, White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described India as the USA’ “strategic accomplice” with whom it maintains a “full and frank dialogue,” together with its ties with Russia. She mentioned it was important for all nations, together with India, to assist efforts to realize lasting peace in Ukraine.
Requested about PM Modi’s assembly with Putin, Jean-Pierre mentioned, “India is a strategic accomplice with whom we have now a full and frank dialogue, together with its relationship with Russia, and we have now already spoken about this earlier than. That’s the reason we imagine it’s important that every one international locations, together with India, assist efforts to realize a long-lasting and simply peace so far as Ukraine is worried. It can be crucial that every one our allies realise this.”
“We additionally imagine that India’s long-standing relationship with Russia offers it the power to induce President Putin to finish his brutal struggle, an unprovoked struggle in Ukraine. It’s President Putin’s accountability to finish it. President Putin began the struggle and he can finish it.”
Jean-Pierre was talking after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, throughout his bilateral talks with Russian President Putin, raised the problem of killings of youngsters throughout conflicts and mentioned it’s “heartbreaking” when harmless youngsters are killed. The Prime Minister mentioned everybody who believes in humanity feels damage when there’s lack of life.
This comes within the wake of the latest missile assault on a youngsters’s hospital in kyiv, which killed 37 youngsters.
“Whether or not it’s struggle, battle, terror assaults, everybody who believes in humanity feels ache when lives are misplaced. However when harmless youngsters are killed, once we see harmless youngsters dying, it’s heartbreaking. That ache is immense. I had an in depth dialogue with you on this as nicely,” PM Modi mentioned throughout the assembly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned there isn’t a resolution on the battlefield and added that peace talks aren’t profitable amid bombs, weapons and bullets.
PM Modi mentioned, “As a good friend, I’ve at all times mentioned that for the brilliant way forward for our subsequent generations, peace is of utmost significance. However I additionally know that options can’t be discovered on battlefields. Amidst bombs, weapons and bullets, options and peace talks aren’t profitable. We must comply with the trail to peace solely by way of talks.”
It was Prime Minister Modi’s first go to to Russia because the struggle between Moscow and kyiv started in 2022. India has at all times advocated “peace and diplomacy” to resolve the battle between Ukraine and Russia.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s go to to Russia, calling it a “devastating blow to peace efforts.”
Mr Zelenskyy took to social media platform X to publish that on the identical day 37 individuals, together with three youngsters, had been killed and 170 others injured attributable to Russia’s missile assault on the most important youngsters’s hospital in Ukraine’s capital, kyiv.
“Right now in Ukraine 37 individuals had been killed, three of them youngsters, and 170 had been injured, together with 13 youngsters, on account of the brutal Russian missile assault. A Russian missile hit Ukraine’s largest youngsters’s hospital and focused younger most cancers sufferers. A lot of them had been buried below the rubble. It’s a enormous disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the chief of the world’s largest democracy embrace the world’s most bloodthirsty legal in Moscow on a day like this,” the Ukrainian chief mentioned.
Prime Minister Modi was on a two-day official go to to Russia from July 8-9. Throughout his go to, he held a bilateral assembly with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. PM Modi additionally addressed the Indian neighborhood in Moscow.