New Delhi, March 20 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held separate conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and asserted that dialogue and diplomacy are the keys to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Modi congratulated Putin on his election victory for a fifth term and thereafter called Zelenskyy to express India's unwavering support for peace initiatives and a swift resolution to the ongoing conflict.
Both Putin and Zelenskyy have invited the prime minister to visit Russia and Ukraine respectively after the Lok Sabha elections, sources said, adding they see Modi as a "peacemaker".
"Spoke with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation," Modi said in a post on X.
He mentioned that both leaders agreed to deepen and expand the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
The External Affairs Ministry released a statement saying that during the discussion on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Modi reiterated India's consistent stance favouring dialogue and diplomacy.
"They also reviewed progress in various issues of bilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," it said.
In his conversation with Zelenskyy, Modi reaffirmed India's support for a peaceful and early resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"Had a good conversation with President @ZelenskyyUa 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," Modi said on X.
Zelenskyy appreciated India's ongoing humanitarian aid for Ukraine and expressed his desire for India's presence at the inaugural Peace Summit in Switzerland. He also expressed interest in welcoming Indian students back to Ukrainian educational institutions.
Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for India's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, humanitarian aid, and active participation in Peace Formula meetings. He mentioned that the development of bilateral relations should include a meeting of their teams and a session of the intergovernmental commission on cooperation in New Delhi soon.
Zelenskyy expressed Ukraine's interest in strengthening trade and economic ties with India, especially in agricultural exports, aviation cooperation, and trade in pharmaceutical and industrial products.
According to a Kremlin statement, Putin wished Modi success for the upcoming parliamentary elections in India. The statement also noted that both sides were satisfied with the progressive and dynamic development of mutually beneficial ties in trade, economic, investment, energy, and transport sectors.
The statement confirmed the intention for further coordination between Russia and India in multilateral formats, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. Putin, in turn, wished Modi successful conduct of the upcoming parliamentary elections in India.
Putin's landslide victory in Russia's election further solidified his strong hold on power. The three other candidates, who did not openly challenge Putin, secured 4.31, 3.85 and 3.20 per cent of the vote respectively.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.