New Delhi: Three days after he had a telephonic conversation with Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.
Zelensky said he called Modi and urged India to support the peace effort to end the war being waged by Russia for three-and-a-half years.
“It is important that India is supporting our peace efforts and shares the position that everything concerning Ukraine must be decided with Ukraine’s participation. Other formats will not deliver results,” said Zelensky.
The Ukrainian President called for sanctions against Russia.
“I noted that it is necessary to limit the export of Russian energy, particularly oil, to reduce its potential and ability to finance the continuation of this war,” said Zelensky.
Ironically, India imports oil from Russia, for which it has been recently penalised by the Donald Trump administration with an additional 25% tariff over and above the 25% reciprocal tariff levied earlier.
Modi shared that he made India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict clear to the Ukrainian President.
“Glad to speak with President Zelenskyy and hear his perspectives on recent developments. I conveyed India’s consistent position on the need for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict. India remains committed to making every possible contribution in this regard, as well as to further strengthening bilateral ties with Ukraine,” PM Modi posted on X.
US President Trump and Russian President Putin are scheduled to have a summit in Alaska on August 15 in an effort to find a way to end the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky, however, has made it clear that no solution could be found without Ukraine being heard.
