New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Saturday reiterated India’s continued support for dialogue and diplomacy to help end the Ukraine conflict, while chairing a consultative committee meeting on India-Russia relations.
The meeting reviewed wide-ranging bilateral engagement between India and Russia across several sectors, including trade, investment, energy, connectivity, culture and people-to-people (P2P) ties.
In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said: “Chaired a consultative committee meeting on India – Russia relations. Highlighted various aspects of our multifaceted engagement including in trade, investments, energy, connectivity, culture and P2P domains. As well as our active support to dialogue & diplomacy to end the Ukraine conflict.”
Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s persistent efforts to help end the Ukraine conflict, saying the Indian leader has consistently raised the issue at their meetings and offered “very good ideas” for finding a mutually acceptable solution.
Speaking at an event in Moscow, Putin said that despite their “very good, friendly” relations, PM Modi has shown a keen interest in facilitating a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
“Regarding Prime Minister Modi’s position on ending wars and so forth, I can say that he is one of those world leaders who, despite our very good, even friendly, relations, and very good personal ties, constantly raises questions about ending the conflict in Ukraine. He always raises these issues at every meeting with us. He is keenly interested, and he has very good ideas aimed at finding mutually acceptable solutions. In this sense, the Prime Minister certainly takes a neutral position, but he is interested in ending the conflict. I simply consider it my duty to state this frankly,” President Putin told Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow.
Expressing gratitude to PM Modi, he further said, “We are grateful to the Prime Minister for his ideas — I won’t go into details now — for his commitment to ending this conflict, including peacefully and as quickly as possible.”
Last month, during his meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, PM Modi once again reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward in resolving ongoing conflicts.
As the two leaders shared perspectives on key regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region, which have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers, PM Modi reiterated that India stands ready to assist in peace efforts.
(IANS)
