New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday.
Modi congratulated Putin for winning a fifth term in office and asserted that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Modi’s call to Putin came two days after the Russian leader won the presidential election by a landslide, a victory questioned by the US and its allies.
“Spoke with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation. We agreed to work together to further deepen and expand India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership in the years ahead,” PM Modi said on X.
According to a Kremlin readout on the conversation, Putin wished Modi “for the successful conduct of the upcoming parliamentary elections in India”.
While discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Modi reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward, it said, adding that the two leaders agreed to remain in touch.
The two leaders agreed to make concerted efforts towards further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries in the years to come.
After speaking to Putin, Modi also had a conversation with Zelensky and conveyed India’s consistent support for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to its ongoing conflict with Russia.
“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,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
He added that India will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine guided by its “people-centric approach”.
It may be mentioned here that Putin recorded a landslide victory in Russia’s election, cementing his already tight grip on power. The result on Monday showed that the three other candidates who ran — but had not openly challenged Putin — won 4.31, 3.85 and 3.20 per cent of the vote.
Putin made it clear that the result should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether in war or in peace, for many more years to come.
PNN & Agencies