 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, in Apulia, Italy, Friday, June 14, 2024. (File Photo: PTI)")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, soon after arriving in Tianjin for his first visit to China in more than seven years.
PM Modi reiterated India’s commitment to extend all possible support for peaceful settlement of the conflict and support for efforts aimed at earliest restoration of peace.
“Thank President Zelenskyy for his phone call today. We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspect, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
According to an official statement, Zelenskyy outlined his views on recent developments in Ukraine during the conversation. PM Modi thanked the Ukrainian leader for sharing his perspective and reaffirmed India’s consistent position favouring a peaceful settlement of the conflict, while extending support to efforts aimed at the earliest possible restoration of peace.
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More ShortsIn a post on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine reaffirmed its readiness for a meeting with the Russian leadership but noted that Moscow has shown “no positive signal” in nearly two weeks. Instead, he accused Russia of carrying out “cynical strikes on civilian targets” that killed dozens of Ukrainians. He thanked Modi for expressing condolences to the families of the victims.
Zelenskyy said he and Modi coordinated positions ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, stressing that an immediate ceasefire is essential for peace talks to be meaningful. “It is impossible to speak meaningfully about peace while our cities and communities are under constant fire,” he wrote, adding that India is prepared to “deliver the appropriate signal to Russia and other leaders” during the summit.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral ties, with Zelenskyy noting preparations for exchange of visits and a meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission. He said there was untapped potential in the partnership and expressed hope of meeting Modi “in the near future.”