Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and West Asia. Both the leaders stressed on the importance of pursuing peaceful solutions for Ukraine and reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the India-France strategic partnership.
After the call, Modi took to X and described the talks as “a very good conversation”. “Exchanged views on efforts for peaceful resolution of conflicts in Ukraine and in West Asia. Reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the India-France strategic partnership,” he wrote.
In his official statement on the call, Macron said the leaders coordinated positions on Ukraine and talked about the need for “a just and lasting peace, with strong guarantees for Ukraine and Europe’s security”. “On trade issues, we agreed to strengthen our economic exchanges and our strategic partnership in all areas…Following up on the AI Action Summit held in Paris last February, we are working towards the success of the AI Impact Summit to be held in New Delhi in 2026,” Macron posted on X.
Growing pressure from Washington
The conversation comes at a time when India is facing growing pressure from Washington over its continued imports of Russian oil. The United States has recently imposed tariffs of up to 50% on a range of Indian goods, adding to trade tensions.
On the call, Macron also pointed to ongoing work in global governance, noting that India and France would coordinate closely in the run-up to the French presidency of the G7 and India’s presidency of BRICS, both scheduled for 2026.
Series of diplomatic meetings
The call also took place amid heightened diplomatic engagement on the Ukraine crisis. Macron had recently joined other European leaders in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump. Those discussions followed Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which ended without signs of immediate progress.