 "Putin’s ‘words of gratitude’: Russian leader thanks Trump, Modi for efforts to stop Ukraine war")
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (March 14) for the first time reacted to USA’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. In his opening remarks, the Russian leader spoke at length about efforts made by global leaders to help bring the three-year-old war to an end. Putin mentioned US President Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in his speech of gratitude.
“First of all, I would like to start with words of gratitude to the president of the United States, Mr Trump, for paying so much attention to the Ukraine settlement. All of us have lots on our plates, but many state leaders, the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, the Prime Minister of India, president of Brazil and South African Republic. They devote a lot of time to this issue, and we are thankful to them because it’s all for the noble cause of stopping hostilities and preventing human casualties,” he said.
India on several global platforms has made clear its commitment to peace, saying India “was not neutral and it always sided with peace”.
When PM Modi met with Trump at the White House in February, he reiterated that “India is not neutral”.
“India is siding with peace. I have already said to President Putin that this is not the era of war. I support the efforts taken by President Trump,” PM Modi said while addressing a joint conference.
During his engagement with Russia’s Putin, PM Modi’s statement that this is “not an era of war but of dialogue and diplomacy” earned praise from around the world. He has delivered similar messages to both Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his respective visits to Moscow and Kyiv.
On Thursday, the Russian leader while talking to the press said he was technically “in favour” of the proposed ceasefire in Ukraine, but heavily caveated that with “nuances” and “serious issues”.
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More Shorts“We agree with proposals to cease hostilities, but on the basis that that cessation would lead to long-term peace and addresses the root causes of the crisis,” Putin told a press conference in Moscow with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
The US has proposed a 30-day-long ceasefire which will end hostilities on the war front temporarily. The plan, backed by Kyiv, will include a truce on the sea, in the air and on land.
Reacting to Putin’s comments, Trump said they were “promising” but “not complete”.
Trump, during his meeting with Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the Oval Office, told reporters that he hoped Russia would do the right thing.
Putin “put out a very promising statement but it wasn’t complete,” Reuters quoted Trump as saying.
“Hopefully Russia will do the right thing,” the US leader added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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