Putin, Zelenskyy invite PM Modi to Russia and Ukraine after Lok Sabha polls
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Presidents of Russia and Ukraine, reiterating India’s commitment to peace amid the ongoing war between the two countries.
Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin invited PM Modi to their respective countries after the Lok Sabha elections, sources said. In a post on X, PM Modi said he spoke to Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as Russia’s President. “We agreed to work together to further deepen and expand India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership in the years ahead,” PM Modi said.
In another post, PM Modi said he spoke to Zelenskyy 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,” PM Modi said.
In response, Zelenskyy said, “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. It will be important for us to see India attend the inaugural Peace Summit, which is currently being prepared in Switzerland.”
“We discussed the development of our bilateral relations, which should include a meeting of our teams and a session of the intergovernmental commission on cooperation in New Delhi in the nearest future,” he added. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is interested in strengthening trade and economic ties with India, particularly in “agricultural exports, aviation cooperation, and pharmaceutical and industrial product trade”.
He also said that Kyiv wishes to welcome Indian students back to Ukrainian educational institutions.
The government airlifted students back to India after war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The seven-phase elections will take place from April 19 to June 1. Results will be declared on June 4. India has maintained a strategic neutrality over the war despite the global outcry over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
While India has abstained from several UN votes criticising Putin’s actions, New Delhi has not shied away from expressing its discomfort with the situation. It declined Russia’s request for support in a Security Council resolution on Ukraine and condemned the atrocities against Ukrainian civilians in Bucha, calling for an international investigation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting with President Putin, emphasised that “today’s era is not the era of war,” a sentiment later echoed by the G20 summit communique.