Ahead of his summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “India was ready to help in any way to bring peace.” In a statement after an informal meeting with Putin, PM Modi said that “war was not a solution.” Without naming Ukraine, PM Modi mentioned the attack on a children’s hospital.
He said that seeing the bodies of children is very heart-breaking. On Monday, Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital suffered a massive attack as blasts ripped through the building. While Moscow has denied the role in the attack, several European nations slammed the ‘power’ behind the attack. PM Modi stressed that this was not an era of war. ” We should work towards a better tomorrow for our future generations.
The televised statement comes hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed the meeting between Modi and Putin. Without naming the Indian Prime Minister, Zelenskyy said that the leader of ‘world’s largest democracy hugging ‘world’s most bloody criminal’ was a major disappointment.
‘You are a very energetic person’ – Putin to Modi
In response to PM Modi’s remarks, Putin said, “Our relations have the character of a particularly privileged strategic partnership.” “I thank you for the attention you are paying to the most acute problems including trying to find ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, above all by peaceful means, of course,” he further added.
Putin also congratulated Modi on being re-elected as Prime Minister for the third term. “You have ideas of your own, you are a very energetic person, you know how to get results to benefit India and its people,” Putin said.
(With Reuters inputs)