Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday said he looks forward to visiting India as it can be a “key” in the global diplomatic efforts to end the war between his country and Russia.
Zeleskyy’s comments came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his first trip to Ukraine, invited him to visit India during their bilateral talks here.
The Ukrainian president was addressing the Indian media persons after the bilateral meeting when he also said, “Modi’s visit was historic,” and added: “I very much need your country on our side, not balancing between US and Russia.”
Modi’s nearly nine-hour visit to Ukraine, the first by an Indian prime minister since its independence in 1991, came six weeks after he held summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July in Moscow.
During the bilateral talks, Modi had earlier told Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to find ways to end the ongoing war and that India had been on the side of peace since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022.
“When you begin a strategic partnership, and you begin some dialogue, you don’t need to lose time. That’s why I think it will be good to meet together again, and if our meeting will be in India, I’ll be happy,” Zelenskyy said.
“I think, to understand a country is to understand people also. It’s better to be in your country because to find the key to your country and to your Prime Minister is to see your people and I need very much to find the key to your country, because I very much need your country on our side, not balancing between the US and Russia,” he said.
“It’s not about your historical choice, but who knows, maybe your country can be the key in this diplomatic influence,” he said, adding, “That’s why I’ll be happy to come to India as soon as your government, Prime Minister (Modi) will be ready to see me.”
Replying to another question, he said, “We want him (Modi) very much to have peace summits, and of course we will be happy to work on it and of course, if he has his ideas, we will be happy to discuss it.
“But we don’t change our territories on any propositions … we don’t change our people to any propositions, our territories our values and our freedom and democracy to any propositions … we will not change,” he said.
“PM Modi wants peace more than Putin. The problem is Putin doesn’t want (peace). I don’t know what they spoke during their meeting. But I ….” Zelenskyy said and shrugged with an expression of exasperation.
PTI