Russia views Narendra Modi’s trip as a contribution to the settlement of the crisis, the foreign ministry says
Moscow will continue dialogue with New Delhi following a visit to Kiev by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
Modi traveled to the Ukrainian capital last week, where he met Vladimir Zelensky and declared that India would not be a “neutral or an indifferent bystander.”
It was the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
“We consider the visit of Indian Prime Minister Modi to Kiev as an effort to make a contribution to the political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, along with the efforts of other countries,” Zakharova said at a briefing on Wednesday.
She added that Moscow was ready to maintain discussions with “friends in India” on the Ukraine conflict.
Following the visit, the Indian prime minister briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden on his landmark trip to Kiev.
Modi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday that he had “exchanged perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict” with Putin, and shared his “insights from the recent visit to Ukraine.”
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The Indian prime minister also “reiterated India’s firm commitment to support an early, abiding and peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
Modi’s conversation with Putin came a day after a call with Biden, during which the Indian leader reaffirmed New Delhi’s “consistent position in favor of dialogue and diplomacy,” according to a statement from the Indian Foreign Ministry.
In early July, the Indian prime minister embarked on a visit to Moscow, where he held face-to-face talks with Putin. At the time, Zelensky expressed “huge” disappointment at the visit, while the US cautioned India – which has had close ties with Russia since the days of the Soviet Union – against deepening ties with Moscow.
Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, India has abstained from condemning or sanctioning Moscow, despite pressure from the West. Trade between the two countries has grown significantly since 2022, reaching $65 billion last year. Moscow and New Delhi have set a target of reaching $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.